Without The Mask
by xShadowxRocksx
Summary: Amy Rose makes it her mission, to investigate the mysterious personality, of the Ultimate Lifeform. ShadAmy
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello! This is my first story on this site, so please be nice! :)**

**Disclamer: I don't own Sonic The Hedgehog. It's owned by SEGA.**

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**Chapter 1**

"Where has Sonic disapeared off to this time?" A pink female hedgehog, by the name Amy Rose, muttered to herself. She stopped running, trying to catch her breath, as beads of sweat rolled down her forehead. "Doesn't he realize that I just wanna talk to him?" Amy questioned again, a small frown setting on her lips. She thought about the times she had chased him, asked him out, asked him to marry her, gave him death hugs...So maybe that was why he was running away from her.

Amy's face scrunched in anger. "I just wanna TALK to him! WHY DOES HE ALWAYS RUN AWAY FROM ME?" She breathed heavily, ignoring the people around her who gave her strange looks. "That's it. Next time I see Sonic, I'm gonna whoop his blue ass to the other end of the world! With my hammer that is!" A grin crossed her muzzle. "Then he'll be the first one to know what is gonna happen to someone who makes Amy Rose angry! I should just forget about him and enjoy this peaceful, sunny day." Amy said, all the anger she felt seconds ago vanishing from her face, getting placed by a small smile.

xXx

A few hours later the pink hedgehog stopped in her tracks. "Is that Sonic I see?" Amy asked no one in particular, looking at the figure on the other side of the street. She held a hand to her face, trying the get the sunlight out of her eyes. Emerald orbs ran across the figure's outline. "Yep. It sure does look like a hedgeho-Oh, and there's a chilli-dog stand over there! It HAS to be Sonic." The pink female smiled, watching "Sonic" walk in a normal pace. Amy completely forget about the anger she had felt for Sonic a few hours ago and instead, thought of how to surprise the blue hero. "Aha! I got it!" She exclaimed, her voice dripping with excitement.

"Soniiiiiiiiic!" Amy ran across the street, a few cars beeped at her to get out of the way. She rushed to the unsuspecting hedgehog and jumped on him with a thud! "Now I've got you Sonic!" Amy giggled, opening her eyes and coming face to face with a very intimidating face. Red orbs glared daggers at her, making Amy squirm under his intense gaze. "Shadow, I'm sorry for jumping unto you like that, I thought that you were S-Sonic." She stuttered the last part, knowing just how much Shadow hated it when people mistook him for Sonic, or in his opinion, faker.

The ebony hedgehog still glared at her. "Just get off of me." He said, which sounded more like a demand, making Amy immediatly pull herself off of him. She didn't know why, but for some reason Shadow kind of intimidated her, not that she would ever admit it to him.

"I'm sorry Shadow." Amy apologised, playing with the end of her dress. "Next time I'll-" She looked up, confusion instantly forming on her face. "Uh? Where did he go?" Amy looked at where the black and red streaked hedgehog had been a second ago, only to see no one. She looked around, twirling a little, trying to catch a glimpse of him. Still nothing. "That was weird." She said quietly to herself, slowly making her way to her home. " But then again, with Shadow, everything is strange."

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**So what do you guys think? Bad? Good? A waste of time? Want to read more? Please leave a review! By the way, I'd really appreciate it if you guys tell me if I did anything wrong, and what needs improving, that kinda stuff. :) **

**Until next time!**

**-Amy**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Before I say anything else, THANK YOU GUYS SOOOO MUCH FOR THE WONDERFUL REVIEWS! Honestly, I didn't think that people were gonna actually like this crappy fic, so thanx alot. :) Anyway, here's the next chapter, I hope you all like it!**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Sonic the hedgehog characters, I only own this fic.**

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**Chapter 2**

Amy groaned, rolling around in her bed, before dropping on the floor. " Ouch! That actually hurt." She stood up and rubbed her bottom. Stretching up her arms, she stopped halfway and glanced at the pink clock on her nightstand. "One past eight." She muttered, making her way to her bathroom, while grabbing a towel on the way. "A long, warm bath will help me get ready for today." She walked inside the bathroom and locked it with a small click.

xXx

Humming gently to herself, while drying her hair with a towel, Amy walked up to a timetable she had made and flipped through it. "Let me see..." She trailed off, trying to find Tuesday. "Here it is!" She exclaimed, scanning the page. "Alright, so; have a bath/shower, eat breakfast, chase Sonic, go to Tails's and ask about Sonic's whereabouts, chase Sonic, have lunch, find Sonic, get caught by Eggman and then get saved by Sonic, and finally, go home and sleep." Amy frowned and put the timetable back in it's place. "As much as I love Sonic, doing the same thing is getting quite boring." A sigh left her lips.

The female made her way into the kitchen, where she poured cornflakes inside a bowl and poured milk on top. Grabbing a spoon and playing with the cereal for a bit, Amy began again," Chasing Sonic is a waste of time." She couldn't even believe the words that were coming out of her mouth, but she knew that it was true. "If Sonic showed me some kind of sign that he is interested in me, I wouldn't have minded, but... He's shown me nothing. I'm tired of wasting my time chasing Sonic!" She shoved the bowl away from her. "I need to talk a walk."

xXx

Amy was walking slowly, watching a couple holding hands and laughing at something the guy said. She heaved a deep sad sigh, wishing that it were her and Sonic instead of them. Amy shook her head. "Now remember what you said Amy." She told herself, glancing away from the happy couple.

When Amy had been taking a walk, she had come to the conclusion that she was going to stop chasing Sonic. Instead she was going to find something new to do, and if Sonic really liked her, _he _would be the one to come after her. In Amy's mind it was a great plan. She would know if Sonic liked her. If he didn't, she would just have to move on from him. The thought itself crushed her, knowing that she'd never feel this way about anyone else.

"I need to give it a try, if I want to find out if Sonic likes me without having to chase him all day long." The rose hedgehog glanced once more at the happy couple, smiling slightly before it disappeared. "If Sonic doesn't like me... Well, then I'd need to move on. Sonic isn't the only guy in the world, there are other cute guys who probably wouldn't mind dating me."

xXx

After lunch, Amy decided to head to her favourite park. She was now sitting on a bench, admiring the nature. Her eyes trailed around the park, over an ebony hedgehog, to some trees, before going back to the hedgehog. The female's eyes widened slightly. What was Shadow doing here? _I thought that Shadow hated busy places, but then again it's quite uncrowded today. _Amy thought to herself, not realising that she was practically staring at the dark hedgehog.

Shadow was sitting on the soft grass, with his back leaning against a tree. His eyes were closed and his mouth was set in a straight line, no smile or frown. _He looks so peaceful. _Amy thought, watching the black and red streaked hedgehog again. She stood up and walked to Shadow, being careful not to make a noise. " Why am I doing this?" She whispered quietly, crouching down, before sitting cross-legged on the grass. Amy looked at him again, trying to figure out the mysterious hedgehog. _All I know is-Well, from what Sonic told me, he is dangerous and uncaring. _She scanned the hedgehog before her again. _He sure doesn't look like what Sonic describes him to be, even though he can be scary at times. Oh well, I need to be going now. If he sees me near him, he's gonna be _real _angry. _Amy thought, nearly standing up, when the ebony hedgehog's eyes snapped open. Amy froze. She tried moving her legs, but they were wobbling like jelly. She couldn't even bring herself to look at Shadow, knowing that his red orbs were glaring at her.

"What are you doing here?" She heard him ask, before finally looking at him. His voice was quiet and calm, but she could see the annoyance in his eyes. Speaking of eyes, she finally got a chance to look at them closely. His eyes were blood red, showing no emotion except for irritation. She couldn't help but think that they were beautiful. "Well...?" Shadow asked again, crossing his arms, waiting impatiently for an answer. The pink hedgehog's cheeks turned red. She realised that she had been too busy staring at his eyes, instead of actually thinking of an excuse to say for being near him.

"I.. Uh... Well..." Amy tried to think of something to say, while she shifted from one foot to another. _Come on Amy! _She urged herself. _Think of something, ANYTHING... _She paused in her thoughts, quickly taking a peek at the hedgehog before her. His arms were still crossed and one of his feet were now gently tapping on the floor. "Um..." Amy started again, catching the dark hedgehog's attention.

After a few more seconds, with Amy mumbling nothing in particular, Shadow uncrossed his arms and said, "I don't know what you were doing here-," He looked at Amy, who bit her lip and looked down, before continuing, " However, you aren't worth my time." The ebony hedgehog glared at Amy a little, before he skated out of the park.

Amy let out the breath she had been holding and inhaled deeply. "That was close." She said, wiping invisible sweat off her forehead. " I actually thought that he was gonna chaos spear me or somethin', but he isn't _that _heartless. After all, I was just sitting near him, it wasn't like I kissed hi-" Amy blushed a tomato red, wondering where that thought came from and decided to direct her thoughts somewhere else. "I don't know why I went so close to Shadow in the first place." The pink female said, looking really confused.

Amy glanced at where Shadow had left from, a smile stretching across her peachy muzzle. "I got it! I'm not chasing Sonic anymore, so maybe I should get to know Shadow more bette- No, NO! He is dangerous!" She waved her hand in the air, a frown replacing her smile. "But I really wanna know why he is always so grumpy, so lonely.."She thought out loud, picturing the dark hedgehog in her mind, with a frown on his tan muzzle. "Come to think of it, I've never seen Shadow smile before." Amy thought that it was quiet strange for someone to NEVER smile. She shook her head off the thoughts, finding them less important at the moment. "Anyway, I AM going to find out more about Shadow. I used to always say, "don't judge a book by it's cover", and that's exactly what I'm doing right now. I'm judging Shadow, even though I don't know him."

The female slowly made her way out of the park, walking on the sidewalk. She inhaled the fresh air, a smile taking over her lips. "I thought that Sonic was mysterious, but Shadow totally wins the battle." Amy laughed quietly to herself. She stopped laughing and cleared her throat, seeming very excited. "So anyway, my new mission: figure out Shadow the hedgehog."

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**So how is the story so far? It was kinda hard writing this chapter, since I didn't know how to start this whole "mission" thing, but I really hope that you guys liked it. Please review, you all inspire me to write more. :) Oh and thanx to those people who alerted/favourited me and my story, thank you very much. (:**

**I'll try to have the next chapter up soon!**

**-Amy**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I'm really sorry for not updating sooner. :( I was too busy revising for exams and you know how that is like. *S****igh* Let's just hope that you guys will like this chapter. =)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything that has to do with Sonic The Hedgehog.**

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**Chapter 3**

"Ok, If I was a guy who hated crowded places and liked quiet areas, where would I be?" Amy said out loud, holding her chin in thought. She was currently standing in front of her house, dressed up in her trademark red dress. The pink hedgehog hadn't forgotten about her new mission. In fact, she was out here, looking for the dark hedgehog. "Hmmm... Maybe I should go and look in the park, there is a 50% chance that he could be there." With that said, the rose hedgehog happily made her way down the path of her house.

xXx

As Amy was getting nearer to the park, a blue figure caught her eye. _Sonic? _She thought, squinting her eyes, watching the azure male gulp down a mouthfull of chillidogs. One part of her wanted to just go and hug the life out of him, but the other part reminded her of her plan to get Sonic to confess his love to her. The female's eyes twinkled with a little glow. she just knew that he liked her, but she would have to stick to the plan if she wanted to hear it from him. _Anyway, the plan won't stop me from talking to him. Besides, I can give him a big shock by not hugging him. Ha! I can't wait to see his expression._ Amy smiled to herself, keeping her eyes fixed on the blue hero. Looking out for any cars, she walked across the street.

"Hi Sonic!" Amy greeted him with a big smile.

The blue hedgehog turned around. His cheeks were stuffed with chili-dogs, while some sauce trickled down the corner of his mouth. Realising that he wasn't very presentable, Sonic quickly grabbed a tissue and wiped his mouth. "Hiya Ames. How ya doin'?" He asked her, a small smile on his mouth.

Amy clasped her hands behind her back. It was getting hard trying to resist hugging him and she wanted the urge to go away. "I'm doing fine Sonic, how are you doing? You know, with all that saving the world stuff." The pink hedgehog asked, putting a bigger smile on her face.

Sonic winked and gave her a thumbs up, "I'm doing good Amy, saving the world is getting a lot easier." He grinned. Just as he was about to start boasting, he noticed something. Amy didn't hug him. _Strange. _Thought Sonic, eyeing the female before him in confusion.

Amy grinned slightly, knowing that he now realised that she didn't hug him. "Ok Sonic, it was nice talking to you, but I better be going now." She said, which was of course true. She really wanted to find out why Shadow was always so-

"You didn't hug me Amy." Sonic said, tilting his head a little to the side in confusion. "Why?" He added, looking in her eyes as if they would give him the answer.

"Do you want me to?" Amy asked, putting her hands in front of her, in a "give me a hug" gesture.

Sonic's eyes widened, while he shook his head and took a few steps back. The petite hedgehog frowned, crossing her arms across her chest. "That's not what I meant Ames, It wasn't like you, so I was wondering if you were ok." He replied, smiling.

"Whatever Sonic, I've got to go now." Amy scowled a little, angry at herself for even THINKING that HE, SONIC the hedgehog, would like someone like HER. She threw a glare at Sonic, who flinched slightly, knowing that he must have upset her for some unknown reason. The pink female stomped away angrily, Sonic watching her with a confused face.

"I wonder what that was all about." The blue hero scratched his head a little, shrugged his shoulders, then went back to stuffing his cheeks with chili-dogs. "Ah, I can never get enough of this heavenly food."

xXx

"I should've known that he would never like me." Amy frowned, kicking some stones out of her way. She was getting even more nearer to her destination. "I need to stop over-reacting a lot, he didn't tell me that he didn't like me, so why is it getting to me?" She asked herself, shaking her head a little. "Ok, so he doesn't want me to hug him, but maybe that's because he's shy." Amy reasoned, nodding to herself. Yeah, that was it. "Oh I don't care it that's not the reason! I'm gonna think about this later, right now, I have to focus on Shadow."

xXx

The pink hedgehog finally stopped in front of the enormous park, before going in. She walked around some flowers and then to the bench she had sat on the previous day. Standing in front of the bench, Amy trailed her eyes across the park, trying to catch a glimpse of the dark hedgehog. Not seeing him anywhere else, she looked at the tree from yesterday, but to her disapointment, she saw no one. "Oh..." Her ears flattened slightly.

Amy had actually been looking forward to seeing the ebony hedgehog, and not finding him here was a bit disapointing. She was still intimidated by him, but she could tell that deep down, Shadow did care for people. A smile formed on her glossed lips. Amy remembered how the black and red streaked hedgehog had once saved her from a robot, when Sonic wasn't there. She closed her eyelids, recalling the memory.

*Flashback*

"Are you ok?" Shadow asked, his arms crossed across his chest. His red eyes glanced at the pink hedgehog standing before him.

Amy smiled slightly, trying to not notice how intimidating he looked right now, especially with his attention on her. "I'm fine, thanks to you." She replied honestly, looking at the metal scraps lying on the floor. The darker hedgehog nodded slightly, turning around, and skating out of sight. Amy watched him leave, her smile widening a bit. "Why are people afraid of him again?" She questioned, before laughing slightly. "I'm one to talk! I'm kinda scared of him myself, and I'm expecting people to not be afraid of him? That's just... I don't know." She looked at the place he left from, and added, "He's actually kinda caring, but doesn't show it much."

*End of flashback*

Amy smiled again at the memory. As she turned to leave, her eyes landed on a dark hedgehog with red stripes. "Shadow..." She muttered, her eyes twinkling with joy. With Shadow here, it meant that she could get on with her mission and not go home. Her smile widening, Amy looked at Shadow, who had no clue that she was watching him.

The mentioned hedgehog was walking in a normal pace, throwing his green chaos emerald in the air, then catching it. Feeling eyes on him, he frowned and then turned to look for the person who was "Spying" on him. With his frown deepening, red orbs watched the pink hedgehog, known as Amy Rose, walk up to him. _What does she want now? _He thought, narrowing his eyes at her.

Amy stood in front of Shadow. She knew that he was probably wondering what she was doing here, standing in front of him. "Hello Shadow! It's very nice to see you!" Amy greeted the dark hedgehog warmly.

With his eyes narrowing even more, Shadow's lips moved slowly. "What do you want?" He asked, crossing his arms across his chest. Amy sighed, she already knew that he was going to ask her that.

"Do I always have to want something to talk to you Shadow?" She asked, frowning at the ebony hedgehog. The male closed his eyes before opening them again.

"Well, you have to have a reason to talk to me. Hmph, why would you want to talk to me anyway?" He replied, his voice calm as always.

Amy smiled a little. " Well, I always see you walking around, not talking to anyone, sometimes even looking sad, and it makes me wanna-"

"Save it. I don't need your pity." He whispered harshly, turning around to leave. Amy's eyes widened, while she held on to his shoulder to stop him from going. Shadow's head turned slowly, looking at her, then at the hand on his shoulder. The pink hedgehog quickly pulled her hand away, as if it was about to catch fire.

"S-sorry." She stuttered, backing up a few steps. "I didn't mean for it to sound that way. That was not what I was aiming for." Amy breathed heavily, wondering if he would hurt her for touching him. "What I did mean was-"

"I don't have time for you right now." He muttered, turning around to leave, looking back at her, then skating away... Again.

Amy watched him leave the park, then sighed heavily. "You have to stop running away Shadow, It's getting really annoying now." She said, slumping down on the nearest bench. "I made NO progress today." A frown settled on her lips. "Tomorow... Tomorow I will find _something_ about you Shadow." Amy stood up and looked at some flowers. "Tomorow..."

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**So, how was it? I'm sorry if there are any spelling mistakes, I'm writing this in wordpad and it hasn't got a spelling and grammer checker. Also, a huge thank you to everyone who has been reading and reviewing this story. You guys don't know how happy your reviews make me. :)**

**I'll see you all soon!**

**-Amy**

**:)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I'm really sorry for the slow update. :( I'll tell you why I took this long to update: 1) I had just finished my exams, so I wanted some time to relax and do nothing. 2) I didn't really have any ideas. 3) I was lazy, and couldn't get myself to type. :P Before you guys start reading, I wanna thank my reviewers properly. They are the reason why I'm continuing this fic. :) So: **

**AgentOfRedAndBlue - Thanx for all of your reviews, I really appreciate them. =) And yeah, everything you said about Sonic is true.**

**Twilight the Wolf - Thank you for your review. Awh! Your awesome too. :)**

**MagaValkyria - Haha! Shadow _does _start avoiding the park! :P Thanx for the review. You were my first reviewer, and I'm happy that you're still reading this fic. (:**

**Rose the hedgehog - Nice to meet you Beatrice. :) And thank you for taking the time to review for me.**

**A Few Good Authors - Thanks for the review. =) I hope you'll like this chapter too!**

**And without further ado, here is chapter 4. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic The Hedgehog and I never will. :(**

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**Chapter 4**

"I guess I should start looking for Shadow. The sooner I find him, the better." Amy said to herself, turning to walk towards the direction of the park, before stopping herself. "From the way Shadow behaved at the park yesterday, I don't think he's gonna be going there for a while." A frown settled on her lips. "Oh well, I can't give up looking for him now."

xXx

_What am I going to say to Shadow once I find him? _The pink hedgehog thought, biting her bottom lip, while trying to come up with an excuse. Amy's shoulders slumped, while she sighed heavily, feeling slightly angry. "Oh it's no good! I can't think of ANYTHING!" She frowned, watching some clouds appear in the sky. Amy drew in another sigh, walking on the sidewalk. "Why do you have to make this harder than it has to be, Shadow?" She asked quietly, her head hanging low.

But then Amy remembered that SHE was the one who decided to do this in the first place. She had thought that it would be more easier than chasing Sonic and much more fun, but she now realised how wrong she was. "Well I can't give up now, I am not a quiter!" Amy said to herself, folding her arms. "Besides, it looks like this mission is gonna be quite interesing." She added, smiling slightly. "Well, it sure is better than wasting my time chasing Sonic. In this mission I can get somewhere, but in the other one I didn't get anywhere." Her smile got wider, assuring her that this mission wasn't going to be a waste of time after all.

Amy blew some quills out of her eyes, glancing at the sky, while realising that a few more clouds had appeared since the last time she had looked. "I sure hope that it doesn't start raining..."

xXx

The azure hedgehog, known more as Sonic, was racing through Station Square looking out for any trouble. He glanced behind him, surprisingly missing seeing Amy following him. _I wonder what's going on with her. _Sonic thought to himself, his mind travelling back to their last meeting.

*Flashback*

"Hey Ames." Sonic said, watching the pink hedgehog walk into Tails's workshop.

Amy looked around, and when her eyes fell on Sonic, she smiled at him. "Hi Sonic!" The petite hedgehog greeted him cheerfully, waving a little.

"So, what are you doing here? Do you need something?" The blue blur asked, giving her his trademark smile.

"Um, no. I actually came here to check on you guys, I haven't seen you or Tails around very much." Amy replied, scanning the room again. "Speaking of Tails... Where is he? I wanna say hi to him before I leave."

Sonic chuckled slightly, then spoke up, "He's currently in the bathroom Amy, but I'm sure he's gonna be out soon."

"Don't worry, it's not that important." The small female said, and when Sonic looked at her, she added, "By the time Tails gets out, It'll already be night time!" Confusion took over the blue hedgehog's face, but when he realised the joke, him and Amy both shared a few laughs. "Well, I'll be going now." Amy gave Sonic a smile, before slowly making her way to the door.

"Wait!" Sonic called, but then regretted it. He wanted to know why she didn't hug him again, but he realised that it would only make her think that he had some sort of feelings for her, not that he did anyway. "Erm, I jusy wanted to say... Um bye, yeah bye! I'll see ya around Ames!" The blue hero waved, watching Amy raise an eyebrow at him, but then she made her way out of the door. Sonic watched her leave, a frown on his face. "Amy is acting very strange." He thought loudly to himself, his ears twitching upon hearing a toilet flush. "She has probably moved on from me for real." Although he let out a relieved sigh, deep down he couldn't help but feel a little sad. Sonic's eyes widened. What was going on?

*End of flashback*

Feeling the wind stroke his fur, Sonic let out a relaxed sigh. He often wondered about the feeling he had when he thought that maybe Amy had moved on from him. He tried really hard not to think about it, but it would find a way into his mind again. _I certainly don't have feelings for her. _Sonic thought, shaking his head at how stupid it sounded. Him? Having feelings for Amy? Yeah right! _It's probably because she was the only girl who gave me that much attention, and maybe that's why I had that feeling. _He thought again, nodding his head. Yeah... That was it.

Sonic sighed happily, letting the wind carry him, watching the buildings blur past him. Another thing that he really liked apart from chilli-dogs, was running. He really liked it when-actually he liked everything about it. The blue hero let aside all thoughts of Amy from his mind, focusing on his running instead. _I really hope that Amy has really moved on from me. _There. Amy entered his head again. Not only that, but the same feeling from the other day also returned...

xXx

"Ugh! Where is he?" The frustrated pink hedgehog said to herself, walking in some more quieter areas, knowing how unsociable the ebony hedgehog was. "I hope I find Shado-" Just as she was about to finish her sentence, she spotted the hedgehog she was looking for. Amy did a fist pump in the air, trying not to show herself to Shadow. She was sure that if the dark hedgehog saw her, he would run away. "Now slowly follow him." She told herself, tip-toeing quietly.

Amy was only following him, because she wanted to know where he stayed most of the time, so as to make her job much more easier. The pink female kept her eyes glued to Shadow, watching him enter a forest. Amy stopped, her eyebrows cocked in confusion. _Why did Shadow go inside the forest? _She thought, frowning a little. Well there was only one way to find out the answer to her question. Amy quickly followed after the male hedgehog, not wanting to lose him.

_Ok, what is Shadow doing in a forest out of all places. _Amy thought, still following the black and red streaked hedgehog. _My feet hurt a lot! _The pink hedgehog didn't notice the twig lying on the floor, so she accidently stepped on it, making it snap. Her eyes widening and a small gasp leaving her mouth, Amy quickly dived behind some nearby bushes. _Please don't let him see me! _She prayed quietly, trying her best to stay still. The petite hedgehog knew that if Shadow found her, he would-Amy shook her head. Whatever he would do, it wouldn't be good.

Shadow trailed his narrowed eyes across the forest. He swore that just a minute ago he heard a twig snap. _Something or someone is definitely following me. _He thought, his red eyes burning with anger. When he finds whatever is following him like a stalker, he's going to teach them some manners with his chaos spear. That brought a small smirk to his handsome but dark face. _Until then, you can keep following me._

Once Amy was sure that Shadow had started walking, she emerged from her hiding spot. _Phew! That was _very _close! _She thought to herself, watching the ground for any more twigs or broken tree branches. When she looked up however, she stopped dead in her tracks. Shadow was standing before her, his blood red orbs glaring daggers at her, demanding an answer from her. "Sh-Sh-Shadow." Amy said shakily, watching the male walk up to her.

The dark hedgehog stopped a few feet away from her, his arms crossing across his chest. "Care to explain what you're doing in a forest, following me."Amy gulped the lump down her throat, feeling quite scared. If only she didn't... "Hmph! When I ask you something, I expect an answer in return." Shadow cut her thoughts, bringing her back to reality.

"Well, I.. Uh..."Amy started, shifting between her feet, an old habit of hers.

"Can you stop stuttering, it's pathetic." The dark hedgehog snarled harshly causing Amy to jump back a little. She now realised how angry she had made him by following him.

Then an idea popped into Amy's head. "Well, I'm sorry." She started, trying her best to act innocently. "I didn't know that it was you I was following, I thought that it was Sonic." Amy wasn't very good at lying, so she hoped that he would buy it. Well it seemed like today was her lucky day, as she watched Shadow's eyes drain out of anger, but they got replaced by annoyance.

"Hmph, I don't know why you always mistake me for that faker, as we are both completely different, but I'll let you go this time. So, leave." Shadow replied, his face showing no emotion. He turned around to leave, but Amy's voice stopped him.

"Shadow, which way is the exit?"

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**Ok, so I decided to put Sonic as one of the main characters into the fic to make it a bit more interesting, and because I haven't got any other ideas. :P Well I hope you guys liked this chapter and don't forget to review! :)**

**Thanks to:**

**A Few Good Authors, ****DangerousRockstar, ****Jamaican Witch of the earth, ****uchihathehedgehog and ****we are as one**** for faving "Without The Mask." **

**Thanks to:**

**AgentOfRedAndBlue, EHShedgehogs, Fire-Shiell, MagaValkyria, MaverickKayPrime, NecromanyIsMyGame, uchihathehedgehog, we are as one and XSophieBlackRoseX for alerting "Without The Mask."**

**Thanks to:**

**A Few Good Authors and we are as one for faving "Me."**

**Thanks to:**

**we are as one for alerting "Me."**

**Thanks again to my reviewers for all of their feedback. :) **

**-Amy**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I'm not very good at updating. *Sigh* But... I hope that this chapter was worth the wait. :)**

**MagaValkyria - No problem, and thank you for your review. :) Haha, you're right, Shadow really is mad. :P I hope that you like this chapter too. :P **

**TheRoseBullet99 - Thanx for taking the time to review, it means a lot. =) Also thank you for faving and alerting this story. :)**

**Twilight the Wolf - Awww! You always flatter me with your reviews, in other words I appreciate them. ;)**

**Saziie - I'm really happy that you're finding this story funny and enjoyble, and also for giving ShadAmy a chance. Lol. I hope that you keep reading, and that you don't start to find it boring. :P Also, thank you for alerting/faving this fic, and thanx for faving/alerting me too. :)**

**NecromancyIsMyGame - Thank you for the review. (:**

**AgentOfRedAndBlue - I'm really glad you're enjoying this story, and yeah Shadow is getting annoyed with Amy. :P Thanx for the review. =)**

**MEGAANIMEFREAK27 - Thank you very much for the review. :) Here is chapter 5, and I really hope that it doesn't dissappoint you. :P Thanx for faving and alerting this fic. =)**

**Disclaimer: Sonic The Hedgehog belongs to SEGA.**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

Shadow let out a low growl, turning around to face the annoying pink hedgehog. "If you don't know your way around the forest, then why did you come here?" He questioned, glaring at her.

"I told you that I thought that you were Sonic." Amy replied, looking around the now darkening forest. "Please help me get out of here! I don't wanna be left here all by myself!" She added, giving Shadow her best puppy-dog eyes. Shadow just looked at her blankly, before he let out a sigh.

"Follow me." Was all he said, turning to walk the other way.

"Thank you so much, Shadow! You have no idea how much it means to me that you're helping me at a time like this." Amy said brightly, now sure that Shadow _wasn't_ heartless. That was it. She found one thing about him. No matter how uncaring Shadow is, if he finds someone in distress, he'll still help them. A small smile covered the female's muzzle.

The ebony male nodded, quickening his pace. "Hurry up a bit." Shadow said impatiently.

"But I can't, Shadow. My feet hurt from all that walking." Amy replied, swatting a few flies away from her. She pretended not to notice Shadow glare daggers at her.

The dark hedgehog growled with his teeth clenched. Amy was making him change his mind about helping her. Shadow glared at her one more time, before starting to walk to the way of the exit.

xXx

"When are we gonna get out of here?" Amy whined for the tenth time in five minutes. She was totally bored out of her mind. Shadow wouldn't answer the questions she would ask to get something out of him, and she was hungry.

The darker hedgehog completely ignored her, breathing in and out, trying to control his anger.

Amy kept on following Shadow, grabbing some random sticks poking out from trees. She turned to the male before her, both jade eyes landing on his broad back. _Oh god! What is that thing? _Amy asked in her thoughts, staring wide-eyed at the green bug on Shadow's shoulder. "Hey, Shadow." She called, but the stubborn hedgehog ignored her again. The pink hedgehog bit her lip, holding one of the sticks she had gathered, in her hands. She aimed at the bug, hitting the stick on Shadow's shoulder. Amy removed the twig, but the bug was gone. She had missed! But that wasn't the bad thing. Amy glanced up at the male hedgehog, who seemed more annoyed than ever, while grinning sheepishly.

Shadow crossed his arms, with a loud "hmph." "What are you doing? Here I am, helping you exit the forest, and that's how you repay me? By hitting me with a tree branch-stick, whatever?" The ebony hedgehog asked, sounding very pissed off.

"N-no." And the stuttering started. "Th-there w-was a b-b-bu-" Amy stopped talking, feeling something crawl up her arm. She started shaking, her eyes travelling to her arm. After she took a look at her arm, an ear-splitting scream escaped her. "AHHHHHHHHHHH! Get it off of me! Please!" Amy yelled, running from one place to another.

Shadow only raised an eyebrow, finding the petite hedgehog's sudden change of behavier very amusing. He walked to her, and Amy stopped freaking out immediately. The ebony hedgehog took her hand and looked at it. There, standing on her hand, was a medium-sized hairy spider. The female closed her eyes, whimpering a little. Shadow shook his head in disbelief at her actions, then with one swift movement, flicked the spider off of Amy's arm. The pink hedgehog looked at Shadow, going to give him a hug, but the hedgehog saw it coming, and shook his head.

Amy looked down sadly. Shadow was acting like she had cooties or something. "Thanks." She whispered, giving the male a small smile, before it faded. "Why don't you like me, Shadow?"

The ebony hedgehog looked up at her, before turning around and walking away. Amy frowned, already having expected that from him, but continued following him anyway.

xXx

"Shadow, It's been like HOURS, and we still haven't got out of the woods yet." The tired pink hedgehog mumbled, fiddling with her hands. It had gotten more darker now, and the sky was showing signs of rain.

The dark hedgehog stopped walking, feeling very annoyed now with all of Amy's questioning. "First of all, it hasn't been hours of us being in the woods," He replied, crossing his arms with a frown on his face. "And second, you followed me in the forest for like half an hour, and we've only been trying to get out for fifteen munutes, so how long do you think there's left before we actually get out?" He threw in a question, watching the female's shoulders drop.

"Fifteen more minutes." Amy whined, her lips in a small pout. Shadow just smirked at her reaction, knowing that the petite female would never follow anyone ever again in a forest. What he didn't know, was that he was really 100% right about what he said.

_Remind me to _never _go in a forest again! _Amy thought to herself. Suddenly there was lightning, causing the pink hedgehog to shriek, before clasping herself to Shadow.

The male watched Amy clung to him, feeling uncomfortable. She was hugging him, with her arms wrapped tightly around his waist, and her head on his tuft of chest fur.

Realising what she was doing, Amy pulled away quickly, her eyes locking on his. Both pf them didn't move, they just kept staring at each other. There was a few thunder noises, before the rain came cascading down.

Shadow broke the intense gaze of their eyes, with a smirk on his face, and his eyebrows raised. "I didn't know that you were afraid of thunder and lightning." He said, clearly amused.

Amy blushed softly, pulling away from him completely, feeling like her body was on fire from his warmth. "I'm not scared of them." She muttered quietly, the rain drenching them both. She squeezed the water out of her hair, her eyes travelling to the male hedgehog before her. What she saw made her gape like a fish.

Shadow was just standing there, letting the rain soak him from head to toe, with his gaze somewhere else. The rain trickled down his body, making him look...

"What are you gawking at with such interest?" His deep voice cut in her thoughts, leaving her cheeks to turn bright red.

"Um, nothing!" Amy answered quickly, before adding,"Can you please get us out of here quick? I don't want to be out in the rain." Then she thought of his chaos emerald. "Hey, Shadow! Why don't you chaos control us out of here?"

"I would've done that a long time ago, except I don't have my emerald with me." Lightning clapped, and the rain started coming down faster. "If you really want to get out of here," He watched her head snap up, "There is only one way that'll help us get out of here faster. So, are you up for it?"

Amy nodded her head quickly. She would do ANYTHING to get out of this dark forest. Her thoughts were interrupted, when she felt herself get scopped up. She shook her head to get the quills out of her eyes, and looked up. "Wait, your gonna run?"

"Yes, that's the only fast way I can think of." He looked down at her, his face emotionless. "You might want to hold on tightly, because if you go flying off once I start skating, don't blame me." Shadow smirked slightly, getting ready to run.

Amy's eyes widened, before she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling a blush creep up to her cheeks. _This is crazy! Why am I always blushing around him? _She asked herself. Shadow started skating, running at his fastest speed. The pink hedgehog in his arms yelped at the sudden speed, wrapping her arms even more tightly around his neck.

With the ebony hedgehog skating fastly, Amy couldn't even really feel the rain anymore. Well, she could, but it was mixed with the wind. She watched the forest end, with them coming in a clearing.

"Where do you live?" She heard him say, his red orbs focusing on her face for just a second.

"Well, I live in..."

xXx

Shadow stopped, letting Amy stand on her legs. The pink hedgehog turned around, smiling at seeing her cozy house. She turned around to the black and red streaked hedgehog, wanting to thank him. "Thank you for bringing me home, Shadow." She smiled at him warmly, making her way up to the door. "Would you like to stay with me tonight? Think of it as a thank-you, and also you can't go out in the rain again, you'll catch a cold." Amy added, looking at him with concern.

The male shook his head, the rain pouring down on him. "It's alright. I'm used to being out in bad weathers." He replied, looking at her with his blood red eyes. The pink hedgehog smiled at him sadly, feeling slight pity for the lonely hedgehog.

"Oh, ok. Um, well bye, I guess." Amy muttered, keeping her eyes on Shadow. The ebony hedgehog nodded, turned around, and skated out of sight. The female sighed quietly, going inside her house, feeling the warmth embrace her. "Today went well, even if I got lost in the forest." Amy giggled to herself, walking to the kitchen. She turned on the light, opening the door of the fridge. "I wonder what tommorow is gonna be like." She wondered out loud, getting out a sandwich that she had bought, and took a big bite. "I don't know why, but I have a feeling that tommorow will be even better..."

* * *

**I hope you guys liked it. :) Please leave a review, so that I know that people are actually reading this. =) If it weren't for you guys, I would have probably deleted this story a long time ago, so know that your feedbacks are appreciated. :) **

**Ultimania - Thanx for alerting and faving this fic. :)**

**I'll try to have the next chapter up soon, **

**-Amy**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I am sooo sorry. :( Urgh! I wanted to have this chapter up sooner, but stupid school has to ruin everything! When I first joined fanfiction , I thought that it would be easy writing stories and getting on with school and all the drama, but I was wrong. =( Anyway, I hope that you guys like this chapter. :) Before we start though, I wanna quickly thank my reviewers:**

**TheRoseBullet99 - Thank you very much for the review! :) I want you to know that your reviews make me happy and that they don't go to waste. ^_^**

**RedBaron907 - Thank you for the review! =) I see I have a new reviewer, and I really hope that this chapter isn't a disappointment. :P**

**Antiqua-hime17 - Another new reviewer. :) Haha! Yes, Shadow can be nice, that is if you're on his good side. :P Thanx for the review. :)**

**Twilight the Wolf - Yeah, you do flatter me with your always positive comments, compliments I don't think I deserve. :) Here is chapter 6, I really hope you enjoy reading it! =)**

**AgentOfRedAndBlue - Yeah, lol. :D I thought that part was cute too, though I think that Shadow thinks differently. :) He found it uncomfortable after all. Anyway, thank you for the lovely review, and you rock too. ^_^**

**MEGAANIMEFREAK27 - I'm glad you liked the last chapter. :) Haha, I laughed at that bit myself. =D Thank you very much for the review, and here is more of Without The Mask, just like you wanted. =)**

**MagaValkyria - Hola! :) Thanx for the review, I really appreciate it. Lol, there isn't gonna be any torture for Shadow today though. :( You'll see why. :) Thanks again.**

**AleThe-Hedgefox84 - Yeah, I thought of that too while I was writing it. Lol. :D Thanks for the review, I'm glad that you're liking this story. :) By the way, I changed "more better" to better. =)**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Sonic The Hedgehog doesn't... *Imagine it says what I always say***

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Amy woke up, twisting around in her bed, trying to get to sleep. Realizing that she wouldn't go to sleep, even if she tried for an hour, she threw the covers away from her, sitting at the edge of her bed. Noticing that the room was quite dark, she looked up at the window with a small frown. The usual sunlight wasn't peeping in through the curtians, a dull gray light coming instead.

_Please don't be... _The pink hedgehog trailed off, an unhappy look on her face. She stood up, a yawn escaping through her lips, her feet making their way to the window. Amy pulled the curtains, rain greeting her. "Oh no, why did it have to rain?" She whined, her frown deepening. The petite hedgehog watched the rain splatter against the windowpanes, only one thought coming to her mind. "If it's raining, it means that I can't go and search for Shadow, which really is disappointing, considering that I'm slightly enjoying this mission." Amy sighed sadly, making her way to the bathroom.

xXx

Half an hour later, Amy came out, feeling refreshed. She had washed herself, brushed her teeth, etc. Drying her hair with a towel, she walked down the stairs, a knock on the door making her freeze for a second. _I wonder who that is, nobody really visits me. _The pink female thought to herself, slowly walking to the door. She stood in front of it, biting her lip softly. "Who is it?" Amy called out for safety reasons, she didn't want someone dangerous inside her house.

"Ames? It's me, Sonic." The voice on the other end replied, surprising and relaxing the anxious female. Instantly, Amy pulled the door open, surprise still showing on her face. A dripping wet Sonic looked up at her, smiling his trademark smile, while giving her a little wave. "Hey, Amy." He said, the rain falling down on him. He looked a bit shy all of a sudden, glancing at his feet. "Um, can I come in?"

Amy broke out of her thoughts, nodding her head quickly, a smile suddenly lighting up her whole face. It wasn't everyday that Sonic The Hedgehog visited her, today was the first time actually. They both walked to the living room, Amy taking a seat on the armchair, while Sonic sat on the sofa. "So Sonikku, can I ask you what the matter is? I mean, it's very unusual for you to be coming to my house all of a sudden, not that I mind of course." She flashed a smile in his direction, folding her arms on her lap.

"I thought you'd say that." He replied, giving her a small smile. "Well, I was kinda worried about ya." The blue hedgehog added, rubbing his neck slowly. "I haven't heard from you a lot, and I just wanted to check up on you, so that I know that you're safe." Sonic finished, giving her one more smile.

Amy frowned a little. That certianly was not the answer she was expecting. But she felt happy that he was concerned about her, and actually coming the her house. So far the plan was working out great, Sonic was finally giving her a little attention. It wouldn't be long before he confessed his feelings to her, proposed to her, married her... The female resisted the urge to let out a squeal.

Sonic looked at her, obviously feeling confused about her sudden change of behavier. His eyebrows furrowing, he eyed Amy with honest confusion. The pink hedgehog looked like she would throw a party any second.

Amy grinned brightly, unaware of Sonic's confused expression. She really felt like hugging him, but she had to resist it. "Thank you for being worried about me, Sonic! Also for visiting me, I really appreciate it." She blurted out, her whole face glowing. Sonic smiled slightly, noticing how happy he had made her.

"Well, I better be going now, see ya around Ames!" The blue male grinned at her, running to the door.

"Wait, Sonic!" Amy called out to him, stopping him in his tracks. "Can't you stay just a little bit longer?" She asked, her face looking hopeful.

Sonic looked at her. "I wish I could Ames, but I've gotta world to save! Bye, Amy!" He replied, rushing out of the door quickly.

"Excuses..." The pink female pouted, crossing her arms across her chest. "He says that everytime." She stood up, locking the door. Amy stood there for a few minutes, the thunder roaring in the background. Sighing, she turned to leave, only to hear loud and quick knocking on the door. Turning around, she quickly opened the door. "Sonic..." She said, but something fell against her, nearly knocking her to the floor. Amy looked at the something, or someone, a gasp leaving her mouth. She looked in horror at the unconscious, wet ebony hedgehog in her arms, blood oozing out of his arms and other parts of his body.

"Shadow..."

* * *

***Gasp* What has happened to Shadow? o_o This chapter was a bit shorter than the others, but at least it was better than nothing. :) Please review, I love hearing what you guys think of the fic. ^_^**

**Thanks to everyone who alerted/favourited me, and alerted/favourited this story. :)**

**Bye!**

**-Amy**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I am so sorry, really. =( I can't believe it took me nearly 2 months to update this. :( Well, it's here now, so enjoy. Oh, before you start reading, I wanna quickly thank my reviewers. ^_^**

**So thank you to: _AleThe-Hedgefox84_, _Amy roxs1, XxX-Naxid-XxX, Kane'sRightHand, MEGAANIMEFREAK27, BlackSandHeart, Blue-Fire on Ice, Antiqua-hime17, FlickeringFox, Twilight The Wolf, TheRoseFlash99, NecromancyIsMyGame, Rose the hedghog, ultrathehegehog, casey10rok, Saziie and lil'amy._ You guys all rock! :) I hope I haven't missed anyone, lol. Are all the guest reviewers you Twilight? I just wanna make sure. =) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own STH.**

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**Chapter 7**

All Amy could do was stare on in shock at the ebony hedgehog in her arms. "Oh my god!" She gasped, her eyes widening a bit. She could see a small cut on Shadow's left cheek, blood spilling out from it. "What could have caused this to happen?" Amy asked herself, her jade green eyes still wide. The pink hedgehog gasped, struggling to keep Shadow up, biting her bottom lip while doing so. "Ugh, he's heavy."

Amy glanced at the black and red hedgehog's face once more, before turning he attention to her small living room. Her eyes trailing around the room, stopping on the sofa. "Nope. Too small for Shadow." She shook her head at the couch, moving to another place. Sighing, Amy crouched down, gently laying Shadow down on the floor, then standing back up. "Nothing is big enough for Shadow, so I might as well nurse him on the floor." The small female looked down at Shadow, when saying the word "nurse", and checking out his injuries from head to toe. The long gash on his right leg, and a smaller one on his left arm made Amy wince slightly, before she turned around, not being able to watch all that blood run down his body.

"Where did I put the first-aid kit?" She asked herself, making her way towards the bathroom, her hand on the doorknob as soon as she got there. "All I know is that it's in here somewhere."

xXx

A groan left Shadow's mouth, his eyes fluttering open, showing intense ruby orbs. He glanced up, his vision all blurry. _What is going on? _He thought, blinking his eyes a few times. It didn't really help at first, but then his eyesight started getting clearer. _Thank god! _The ebony male thought in relief again, staring at the clear ceiling that was blurry a minute ago.

Suddenly he stiffened, before freezing completely. Shadow stayed like that for a second, before he shot up on his feet. He winced, feeling pain slowly crawl up his body. _Where am I? _The black and red streaked hedgehog thought, his eyes narrowing into tiny slits, his gaze scanning the room before him. This wasn't where he lived! He examined the pink and white furniture, his ears perked up for any sign of danger. Shadow could make out the sound of shuffling feet with his sensitive ears, his body shifting between attack and defence mode. "Shadow?" The timid voice came from behind him, which the ebony hedgehog recognised immediately. His stiff body relaxed a little, though the pain didn't leave his body. Closing his eyes, and breathing slowly through his nose, Shadow turned to face the person behind him.

xXx

Amy's eyes were narrowed slightly, but as soon as Shadow turned to face her, her eyes widened and a huge smile covered the frown on her face. "Oh my god!" Shadow, you're alright! I'm so happy, you have no idea how worried I was!" The pink hedgehog babbled on, not knowing that Shadow wasn't really paying any attention to her. No, he had to get some things straight, before he listened to any of Amy's ramblings.

"What am I doing here?" He questioned, crossing his arms over his chest and standing in his trademark pose. Amy stopped talking, her face going from happy to confusion.

"What do you mean, Shadow?" She asked, the first-aid kit in her right hand, Shadow catching a glimpse of it, but deciding to ignore it for the moment. The male hedgehog sighed, knowing he had to be more specific.

"What I mean is, what am I doing in your house?" He replied, trying his best to be patient.

"Well, you came to my place." Amy's face was scrunched up in confusion, before it turned to horror. "Don't tell me that you've lost your memory!" She gasped, here eyes widening. Shadow rolled his eyes, his patience slowly slipping away.

"No, I haven't lost my memory." He said, which seemed to calm Amy down a bit. "And no, I didn't come to your house."

"Oh, but you did Shadow!" The pink female insisted, "You knocked on my door, and when I opened it, you were unconscious and you fell on me." Amy explained to him, and when his mouth opened, she held up her hand. "Ok, fine. I found you on my doorstep. You didn't knock on my door at all. Now let me clean you up a bit." Amy mentally congratulated herself, her plan to distract him, working for once. She saw Shadow eye the little box in her hands, a smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. At least he would let her clean up his wounds without being stubborn.

"No thanks. I'm fine with the way I am." Shadow replied, his eyes narrowing a little. "I don't remember ever coming to your house, so how could you have found me on your doorstep?" He asked, uncrossing his arms. Amy let out a small groan. Of course Shadow wouldn't let the subject go, she had been stupid to believe it in the first place.

"Shadow, you weren't conscious remember? So you didn't have much control of your body and mind. You couldn't think properly, and that's why you accidently came to my house." She sighed, getting a bit frustrated. "Now let me clean you up." Amy saw him start to shake his head, and that's when she got a very good idea. She was sure it would work. "If you don't let me clean you Shadow..." Amy trailed off, watching confusion flicker across Shadow's face before it melted back to his usual emotionless mask. He was probably thinking that a weakling like her was trying to threaten someone dangerous like him. Amy ignored her thoughts, continuing her talk. "Then my place is gonna get all bloody!" She finished, watching Shadow glance down at the little pool of blood forming at his feet. The ebony hedgehog gave in with a small sigh.

"Alright, fine. I could always leave your house and go somewhere else, but I don't want to leave a trail of blood after me everywhere I go." His ears flattened a little bit. Amy flashed the smile that showed all of her teeth, and lit up her whole face. Shadow could only watch curiously, not understanding why she was so happy about having to clean up his bloody injuries. Then again, he didn't really understand anything about her. Shadow saw the pink hedgehog sit cross-legged on the floor, putting the small white box in her lap.

"Sit down Shadow." Amy said, and as that sounded more like an order, she added, "Please." at the end. She didn't want to mess with Shadow, not now, not ever.

The black and red male sat on the floor too, his red eyes following Amy's movements. Amy opened the little kit that had a plus sign on the front, taking out a roll of something that was whitish, slightly peachy, followed by some tape and a fluffy white cloth. "I'll be right back." She put the box on the floor from her lap, before standing up, and sprinting out of the room.

A minute passed, and just as Shadow began to feel impatient, Amy appeared at the door, walking to Shadow with a small bucket in her hands. The bucket was filled with water. She smiled at him, sitting on the floor in front of the ebony hedgehog, biting her lip softly. "Can I see your arm?" The rose female asked shyly, her bangs falling over her eyes. Shadow's left eyebrow raised, but he stretched his hand out to her anyway. Amy took his arm, feeling warmth travel through her own one. His body was not cold like his attitude or heart, it was actually very warm.

Realising that she was just staring at his arm stupidly, she flushed up, quickly turning her face away and dabbing the small cloth in the bucket, squeezing it just a bit. When she was sure that she wasn't burning anymore, Amy turned around again, Shadow's arm still in her hand. She bit her lip in concentration, slowly running the cloth over his wound. The male hedgehog winced, clenching his teeth together. "Sorry." Amy appologised, Shadow nodding his head in response.

"It's alright."

The rose hedgehog racked her brain, thinking of a way to start a converstaion with Shadow, while working on his arm. She wouldn't get this chance again. Then it hit her. She never really knew why he was in this situation in the first place. "By the way, I never got to ask what happened to you exactly." Amy said, wrapping some of the white thing, from the roll, on his arm.

"Nothing happened. What is that thing that you're putting on my arm?" He asked looking at the thing in question. The female could tell that he was trying to change the subject, and she wouldn't let him, not until she got an answer.

"It's called a bandage Shadow." She replied, patting the roll of bandage. "About what I was saying earlier, what happened to you? I mean, it surely doesn't look like nothing as you like to put it." Amy looked at him, checking his expression. Emotionless as always.

"If I wanted you to know Amy, I would have told you." Shadow said, ending the conversation right there. Amy sighed, going back to cleaning and bandaging his wounds.

After a while, when Amy had finished his other wounds, she dabbed the cloth in the now reddish water, reaching for his injured cheek. She ran the cloth over Shadow's cheek softly, a slow hiss coming out of his mouth in response. The pink hedgehog was so close to Shadow, that she could feel his warm breath blowing on her face. Biting her bottom lip, she moved away from him, putting the things back in the first-aid kit. "All done. You're all clean now." Amy said, closing the little white box. The ebony male gave her a small smile, Amy wasn't really sure if it even was a smile, before standing up.

"Thank you, I really mean it." Shadow said honestly, moving towards the door that was his exit.

Amy shot up on her feet. "Wait!" She called out, effectively stopping Shadow in his tracks. "Um..." She mumbled, nervously clasping her hands behind her back. The ebony hedgehog turned around to face her.

"What's the matter?" He asked, his face showing no emotion, which really wasn't a surprise.

"Well, um, I was wondering... Well I wanted to ask you if... If you could maybe stop by later, or even tommorow if you like, I don't mind at all." The pink female answered, looking down at her feet.

"Why?" Shadow questioned again, narrowing his eyes.

"I... I just want to make sure that you'll be okay, and to take off your bandages." Amy answered, thinking that if the first part didn't convince him enough to come, then the second part definitely would.

"No thanks. I may not have seen or used a, er... Bandage before, but taking it off doesn't look very hard, even a blind man would be able to do it. Why do you worry so much?" Shadow crossed his arms, glancing at the female before him.

Amy looked up, shrugging her shoulders. "I dunno. I guess worrying is in my nature." Shadow sighed, wanting to be alone in what he called his home. He turned to walk away, only for Amy to stop him again. "Please come, I can't help it if I worry too much, it's just the way I am. Besides, that's the least you could do, for everything I've done for you." She finished, Shadow's arms uncrossing, and his eyes trailing around the room. The floor where Amy had put him when he was unconscious, and the floor where he sat on a minute ago, were both covered in his blood. He looked down at himself, his wounds clean and bandaged up. His red orbs then traveled to Amy's face, staying there.

"I'll see if I can come." And with that said, he rushed out of the room so fast that Amy couldn't even catch a glimpse of him, only being able to hear the door slam shut. His words echoed through her head, a grin slowly forming on her face.

"Well, there is a possibility that he might come." She mumbled to herself, her mind running over today's events. "I really hope that he'll come."

* * *

**So, do you guys think that Shadow is gonna go to Amy's house or not? This chapter was longer, was it not? I really hope that you guys liked this chappie, because I wasn't really happy about the way it turned out to be myself, but oh well. :P Don't forget to review, all of you guys are a great inspiration. :) Oh, and you'll find out what happened to Shadow soon. XD**

**Bye!**

**-Amy**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Woohoo! I updated before a month, even if it's only by a few days. :) Thank you to: _telekineticninja, MEGAANIMEFREAK27, Guest, Twilight the Wolf and MikaitoLuv29 _for reviewing for the last chapter. You guys don't know how much I appreciate your reviews, so I thought about letting you all know that they make me very happy. =) Enjoy chapter 8!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own STH. (Looks like I found a short way for writing Sonic The Hedgehog. :P)**

* * *

**Chapter 8**

Amy decided that she was gonna stay at home, just in case Shadow showed up today and not tomorrow, even though there was no chance of that happening. It had stopped raining, the sunshine gently peeking out from the clouds. Making herself a sandwich, she came out of the kitchen, jumping on the sofa. Glancing at the clock, the pink hedgehog muttered about how her favourite programme starts at one and it's only twelve thirty now, before turning the TV on.

Flipping through the channels, her hand stops on the news channel, Sonic's name catching her eye. Amy sets the remote down, nibbling on her sandwich slowly. _"It's been reported that earlier on today, a shop down in Station Square has been blown up by a bomb!" _Scarlet Garcia, the red-haired woman exclaims, Amy's eyes widening slightly. _"No one really knows who's responsible for the attack, but some people are suspicious about Dr. Eggman, assuming he's the one responsible." _The woman lays the sheets from her hand down on the table, crossing her arms. The pink hedgehog takes another bite of the sandwich, wondering what Sonic had to do with this. _"The good news is that the blue blur, Sonic The Hedgehog, came to the rescue! If it hadn't been for him, most people would have died! We're really grateful for the..." _Scarlet Garcia's voice drowned in the background, Amy's attention now on the picture of the mentioned hero. It had probably been taken by one of the cameras near the shop, the rose female finding herself slowly inching closer to the TV screen.

Amy almost choked on her sandwich, looking at the picture very carefully. This wasn't Sonic! It was… _Shadow… _Amy thought to herself, her hand trailing across the picture that was now taking the screen. It was quite dark, probably very early in the morning, so you couldn't really tell if it was Sonic or Shadow. You had to look very closely to notice that the quills were turned upwards, there were streaks on his arms, the rings… _But why? Why would he do this? _That was the part the pink female couldn't understand. She turned the TV off, having already finished her sandwich. She turned around to go to the kitchen to get a drink, when there were a few quick knocks on her front door.

Her heart hammering in her chest, wondering if it really was the person she was waiting for, she made her way to the door. Not really bothered to think about her safety, Amy swung the door open, her heart stopping for a second. She couldn't believe it! She just couldn't believe that the person at the door had proved her wrong, and was standing right before her. He hadn't even promised her, so why did he come then, if he didn't want to? It certainly did look like he wanted to be somewhere else with his bored pose. Making sure that it wasn't just a dream, the rose hedgehog reached out, gently touching the ebony hedgehog's shoulder. He was still bandaged up.

"What are you doing?" Shadow asked in his deep voice, uncrossing his arms.

"Making sure that this is real, and my eyes aren't playing tricks on me." Amy replied, smiling at him.

"You really need to stop your childish behaviour, and grow up." He answered back, causing Amy to frown slightly. She moved to the side, letting him in. "Be really quick ok? The only reason I even came was because I owed you." The black and red streaked hedgehog muttered, following Amy to the living room.

"You don't have to tell me what happened to you because I found out about it." Amy said, as soon as she sat on the sofa. Shadow didn't look very surprised, crossing his arms across his chest, a habit of his. "Why did you do it, Shadow? Risk your own life to save others?" She looked up at him, seeing him still standing there. "You can sit down, Shadow." The pink hedgehog said, pointing to the sofa. Shadow sat down slowly, his face expressionless. "So, why did you risk your own life for strangers."

"I did it for... Maria."He said, his voice growing soft at the mention of her name. "She was the one who wanted me to protect these pathetic humans, telling me to give them a chance..." There was a distant expression on the ebony male's features, probably having a sort of flashback. "Besides I don't ever die, so I thought I might as well save the people, keep their family away from sadness." Shadow added, causing Amy's head to snap up.

The pink hedgehog stared at Shadow, never knowing that he cared so much. "Why did you get hurt though? You were bleeding all over." She managed to ask, still in a bit of shock.

To her surprise Shadow chuckled a little, and she couldn't help but listen to his deep muscular laugh. "Well, I thought I had my emerald with me, but it turned out that I didn't. So by the time I got everyone out of the shop, which was quite a hard job, since they all thought I was going to kill them or something, it was too late and the bomb exploded." He answered, watching Amy's face. The pink hedgehog gasped, before wincing slightly.

"So you saved them because of your promise to er, Maria, but that didn't mean you had to hurt yourself!" The rose female exclaimed, shaking her head a little. "What if something happened to you?" She asked softly, the ebony male raising an eyebrow.

"I told you I don't die, why do you care so much?" Shadow questioned, frowning.

"I consider you a friend, Shadow. So I have to care." Amy answered, smiling widely.

Before she could say anything else, the black and red hedgehog decided to talk." I came here because you wanted to know if I was alright, I'm perfectly fine, so I'll leave now." Before he could fully stand up, the pink female spoke up.

"Wait for a few more minutes, Shadow. What's the rush? I have a few more questions." Amy said, and with all the time she had spent around Shadow, seemed to have made her less intimidated of him.

He nodded his head before sitting back down. "Alright. But be quick."

* * *

**Ok, so I know that the reason for Shadow to be all bloody was _really _lame, but I had to think of something. I didn't want Mephiles or Black Doom to ruin my story lol, but hey, you don't know if Eggman had a part in it. :P I'm sorry for the short chappie, but I'm feeling lazy and I wanted to stop it there. :P**

**This is just for a bit of fun: How do you greet a two-headed monster? It's kinda a joke, I'm not really sure, but I find it very simple and easy. All of you guys can have a go at answering it, although I think most of you probably already know the answer. You can write your answers in your reviews or PM me, and I'll declare the winner/s in the next chapter. :)**

**Please review,**

**-Amy **


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Quick update, huh? :P A quick thank you to: _zgirl16, ShadowsAngel1, aliciathewolf45, MEGAANIMEFREAK27, BlackPetals23, raeweis, ShadowedRose, Kellie Fay, Person46, SakuraDreamerz, Rider5001, Twilight the Wolf, rose the hedghog and MikaitoLuv29. _You guys are the best, really. :) Some of your reviews made me laugh, lol. I would kill the monster too, lol, but that isn't the answer. :P The answer actually is "Hello Hello", cuz you wouldn't wanna upset the other head, now would you? So the person who got it right was *Everyone on the edge of their seats lol* MEGAANIMEFREAK27! *Applause* But anyone else who said either hello or hi, you guys got it right too, except all of you made the other head upset! :) That was a very long authors note, I'll let you all read now, lol. :P**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters I write about. **

* * *

"So, how did you know that there was a bomb in the shop?" Amy asked curiously, crossing one leg over the other.

"I heard the doctor talking about it." Shadow replied, crossing his arms across his chest. The pink hedgehog narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Hmmm... Why would he put a bomb between innocent people?" The pink female wondered, talking to herself. She then smiled at Shadow. "Anyway, it was very kind of you to save them! How are your wounds? Would you like me to take the bandages off for you?"

"It's alright. I can do it myself." The ebony hedgehog answered, tearing the bandages away from his body, not even caring that he was wounded and it would hurt him. Amy flinched slightly, as if the bandages were getting ripped from _her_.

"Let me do it, Shadow." She stood up, walking towards him. Amy gently ripped the bandages from Shadow's body, unaware of his eyes watching her. The ebony hedgehog smiled slightly, surprising even himself, while shaking his head. The rose female would slowly peel the white bandages off, before wincing, as if she was the one with the wounds. Her behaviour always amused him.

Some knocking on Amy's front door broke the quiet atmosphere, causing the pink hedgehog to stand up and look apologetically at Shadow. "I'll be right back, don't rip it yourself." She smiled at him, before turning towards the door, muttering, "Looks like I've got popular these days…" Just like before, she pulled the door open, not even a little bit afraid of the person behind the door being a killer or anything. Of course, no one would be scared with the Ultimate Lifeform in their house! The pink hedgehog looked up from her bangs, a gasp leaving her lips, before they curved up slowly. "Sonic! It's really nice to see you, come in!" Inside, Shadow flinched at the blue faker's name, thinking of a way to escape before he saw faker's ugly blue face.

The blue blur smiled a bit at Amy's bright face at seeing him, following her inside the house. "Um, Ames, I wanted to talk to you about…" Sonic's voice trailed off, eyes widening a bit. He saw Shadow sitting down on the sofa, an annoyed expression on his face. The azure hedgehog turned to Amy, who was perfectly comfortable with having Shadow in her house. "Can I talk to you, Amy?" He asked, the pink hedgehog turning to look at him with a puzzled look.

"Sure."

"In private," Sonic added, glancing at the ebony male from the corner of his eye. Shadow caught his gaze, glaring at him intensely, both red eyes making his glare more effective.

Amy didn't seem to notice the hatred coming in waves from the ebony hedgehog, nor the glaring contests between the two males. "Um, come on then," She said to Sonic, who walked to stand next to her, before she turned to Shadow, "I won't be long." She smiled slightly, striding out of the room, with the blue male right next to her.

xXx

Once they were in Amy's room, Sonic closed the door, before turning to the pink hedgehog. "What are you thinking, Ames? Don't you know how dangerous Shadow is?" He asked, keeping his voice low.

"He's not dangerous, Sonic. He's just like any other person, except he's being judged." Amy replied, defending herself… Or was it Shadow?

"Are you saying I'm judging him? No, Ames, he _is _dangerous, can't you see that for yourself? Haven't you-"

"Have you watched the news, Sonic?" Amy cut him off, immediately silencing the blue male. "Shadow _saved _people from dieing! Don't tell me that he hurts or kills humans, because he doesn't!" Amy's voice rose up, Sonic staring at her in shock.

"Amy? Why are you…?" The azure hedgehog started, watching Amy bite her bottom lip.

"Look, Sonikku, I'm just stating the truth. I don't know why you two don't like each other." The pink hedgehog ran a frustrated hand through her pink quills. "I like both of you, both of you are my friends, and I don't like seeing people I care for hating each other." Even though Shadow was downstairs, he had good hearing, so he could hear everything they said. He frowned slightly, crossing his arms. Amy had told him earlier that she considered him a friend, but he didn't think that she liked him as much as the faker.

"I did watch the news, Ames; I was here because of that. I know that _he _saved those people, and I wanted to ask you something," Sonic breathed, looking down. "You might think it's childish, but… Am I still your hero?"

Amy's head snapped up, staring at Sonic. She smiled her biggest smile, the urge to hug him coming back slowly. "Of course! Why wouldn't you be my hero?" She questioned, watching Sonic lift his head up.

"Because… Um, well, you know…Shadow saved them when I didn't." He replied, causing Amy to grin.

"You're soooo cute! You know you can't be in two different places, even if you're the fastest thing alive, so it's no problem. It's not childish of you to say that, it's actually very cute!" The pink hedgehog squealed, reaching up to pinch the blue hero's cheeks. In the living room, Shadow rolled his eyes, feeling slightly disgusted. He didn't understand why Amy found the faker cute.

"Ames, how did you know that I was somewhere else, or should I say, why do you think I was…?" The blue hedgehog scratched his head a little, glancing at Amy.

"Well, you always go to Tails's in your free time, so I thought that maybe you were at his workshop when the shop exploded." The rose hedgehog answered, thinking about Shadow, and how he saved those… Her eyes widening slightly, she prayed that the ebony hedgehog hadn't left her house, because she knew how he was like. Before she could say anything else, Sonic spoke up.

"How did _he _know that there was a bomb in the shop?" Sonic eyes narrowed in suspicion, as if he thought that Shadow had put the bomb in there.

Frowning, Amy asked, "Are you saying that Shadow did that?" Her mood changed completely, causing Sonic to stammer.

"N-no, I-I was just…"

"Listen to me, Sonic." Amy glared at him a little, no longer smiling at her beloved blue hero. "If you say that Shadow planted that _thing _there, why would he go back and save those humans, hmm?"

"I didn't mean it that way, Amy. I only wanted to know _how _he found out that there was a bomb…" Sonic replied, wondering why Amy defended the black and red hedgehog.

"He heard Eggman talking about it." The pink hedgehog replied, still frowning.

"Eggman? Why would he do that?" Sonic asked, not understanding, like Amy, why the crazy doctor would want to harm innocent people. "Well that's all I wanted to ask you, I'll leave now." Sonic said, turning towards the door before he stopped. "Be careful, Ames. If you think that Shadow is your friend and he's not dangerous, I won't stick my nose in your business, but just be careful." He frowned at Shadow's name, causing Amy to smile slightly, her attitude changing completely. She caught a hint of jealousy in his voice whenever he talked about the ebony hedgehog, so could he be jealous? There was a possibility. Sonic thought that he wasn't Amy's hero anymore because Shadow saved those people, and he didn't, so…

"Later, Ames." Sonic waved his hand, speeding out of the room so fast that Amy only caught a faint blue trail behind him.

"Did Sonic just come to my house?" Amy asked stupidly, but she couldn't believe that she acted that way towards him, when he rarely visited her. Shadow coming into her mind again, she ran out of the room, climbing down the stairs quickly. Her heart thumping in her chest, Amy prayed again and again that the ebony hedgehog hadn't left her house, but knowing him, he got bored easily and… Amy's heart dropped. When she was with him, he always said that he was going to leave, and with her not there…

She was at the bottom of the stairs, rushing in the living room, only to be faced with an empty sofa. Sighing loudly, she slumped down on the couch, massaging her forehead. "Why did you leave, Shadow?" She asked softly, sighing. Something then came into Amy's head, which made her think that was why Shadow left. The ebony hedgehog must have heard her and Sonic's conversation, and the blue male was suspicious about Shadow, he must have thought she was too. "I'd never be suspicious of you, Shadow. Friends believe each other right?" Amy spoke to herself, not seeing the black shadow outside her window. The unknown hedgehog stood there for a few more minutes, before running off. His upturned quills giving him away...

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**How was this chapter? I hope you guys liked it. :) Do you guys wanna see something funny? Go to Youtube, write "Sonic the hedgehog numa numa dance" in the search bar, click on the one with "numa numa" in it, sit back, enjoy and laugh. If you've already watched it... I can do nothing about that, sorry. :P**

**Here's a joke for anyone who bothers to answer it: What would you have if you crossed a pig with a karate expert? You can either PM me or just write your answers in you reviews. :) Oh and the most important thing: NO CHEATING! **

**Please leave a review before you leave!**

**-Amy**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Whoop! Another quick update! :) A HUGE thank you to: _ShadowsAngel1, SakuraDreamerz, Amy roxs1, MEGAANIMEFREAK27, MikaitoLuv29, Person46, BlackPetals23, Ella, Midnight, NecromancyIsMyGame, Twilight the Wolf, rose the hedghog and Myestica_ for reviewing the last chapter, I really mean it when I thank you guys for your feedbacks. =) ****Anonymous reviewers: Although I can't really reply directly to you guys, I want you all to know that I really appreciate your kind reviews. :)**

**And for the joke, the winners are... *Drumroll* ShadowsAngel1, SakuraDreamerz, MEGAANIMEFREAK27, Midnight, NecromancyIsMyGame, Twilight the Wolf, rose the hedghog and Myestica. Wow, a lot more winners this time, eh? Wonder how they got their answers... :P Lol, some of you thought that it was karate pig, and I can see why you thought that. XD Well anywayz, enjoy chapter 10!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own STH. **

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**Chapter 10**

Amy Rose walked out of her house, a pink umbrella in her right hand. She glanced up at the grey sky, praying in her mind that it wouldn't rain. It was like the first days of her mission again, she had to go and search for the stubborn ebony male. The pink hedgehog started walking down the road, clutching her warm, red coat around her. There was a slight chill in the air, Amy guessing that it had something to do with the rain. "Where should I look for him now?" The rose hedgehog asked herself, kicking a few stones out of her way. "I really hope that he isn't upset, but considering the way he left yesterday… I don't want to think about it."

Glancing at the people around her, she noticed that most of the people were wearing coats now. Amy's mind wandered to the day before, her lips moving to mutter something under her breath, "Sonic has such perfect timing." Realizing what she just said, a gasp left her mouth and her eyes started going wide. "What is wrong with me?! If Sonic had visited me any other time, I would have jumped up and down for joy, but now… I don't understand." Snuggling in her coat, she put her gloved hands inside the pockets. "I think it's because Sonic cuts in through my mission." _No, it's because he drives Shadow away, and you're starting to feel something for Shadow._ Her conscience told her, causing Amy's eyes to widen, but she ignored it completely. _Sonic's the reason Shadow left, and- _"Oh shut up about this nonsense!" Amy yelled, getting attention from people passing by. "I'm going to go crazy! It's better if I just ignore my stupid conscience!"

xXx

The pink hedgehog was sitting on a bench in the park, staring at her hands. She had looked for Shadow everywhere, but still she couldn't find him. Amy's pink quills moved in the cold breeze, her rumbling stomach breaking the quiet atmosphere. She still couldn't get rid of what her conscience had mentioned a few hours ago. "Could it be true…?" She talked to herself, before mumbling, "Of course not, it's just my idiotic conscience messing with my mind." Getting rid of the not so important thoughts, she thought about the black and red hedgehog who was her mission. "Maybe I should just stop this, I mean I don't really get anywhere anywa- NO! I am not a quitter, I'm going to do this if it's the last thing I d-"

"Talking to yourself?" An amused voice said from behind, causing Amy to freeze, before her head snapped behind her. She saw the hedgehog she had looked for all this time, standing in his trademark pose, with an expressionless face.

"Shadow, oh my god! Are you all right?" The rose hedgehog stood up quickly, walking towards Shadow, and then stopping a few feet away from him.

The ebony hedgehog stared at her with a sudden bored face. "Why do you ask me that? Am I supposed to be hurt or something?" Amy shook her head, while eyeing him from head to toe. She saw no bandages wrapped around his wounds, so obviously he had taken it off himself. She saw no scars or scratches on his skin, causing her to look a bit shocked. Seeing her dropped jaw and widened eyes, Shadow folded his arms across his chest. "I heal quickly." He said, the pink hedgehog's face going normal again.

"Are you mad?" Amy asked again, one of Shadow's eyebrows rising up.

"Why am I asked these questions?" He asked her, tilting his head a little to the side. Amy noticed that he was in a better mood today, and she began to wonder why. One other thing she noticed was that usually she was the first one to talk to him or face him, but today it was the opposite. Whatever the issue was, at least he didn't seem grumpy, and so it meant that he wasn't really upset after all. "What are you thinking about?" Shadow questioned, breaking in through her thoughts.

"Nothing, and for your other question I thought that, um… Maybe you were upset 'cause of what happened yesterday.

"What, about faker coming to your house and talking to you? Why would I be upset about that?" He frowned a little, the name "faker" ruining his mood a little. Amy never seemed to understand why Sonic and Shadow hated each other so much, Shadow's hatred towards Sonic more intense.

"No. Not about that. Sonic was a little suspicious about you and the whole "bomb" thing, so I was worried a bit because you have such good hearing, and I didn't want you thinking that I was suspicious of you too." She glanced down at her feet, shifting between them.

"I don't care what faker thinks of me, and don't worry. You're way too innocent to think so low of me." Shadow blurted out the last bit, causing Amy's lips to form a wide smile. Wanting to change the subject, the ebony hedgehog glanced up at the sky, before turning to the pink female. "You might want to go back to your house; the sky shows signs of rain." He muttered, Amy looking up and smiling.

"Oh, there's nothing to worry about! I've got my umbrella with me." She declared, holding her pink umbrella up. "I'm really hungry, come on let's go get something to eat." Amy looked at him with a small smile, hoping that he wouldn't turn her offer down.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not hungry." Shadow said, frowning a little.

"Well then, you can just come with me." The pink hedgehog said, her heart sinking a little. She already knew what he was going to say.

Just as she had thought, Shadow said, "Why should I?" It seemed like his slightly happy mood transformed back to his usual emotionless mood.

"Can't a friend go to dinner with another friend?" Amy threw in a question of her own, glancing quickly at the dark sky. She swore that she just felt a raindrop on her hand.

"Who said anything about being your friend?" Shadow asked, unfolding his arms.

"Why don't you want to be my friend, Shadow? Am I that bad?" The pink hedgehog questioned, her voice full of emotion. Amy breathed in the cold air, her face full of sadness. Nobody wanted to be her friend. No one wanted to date her. Nobody wanted to do anything with her.

Shadow sighed softly, shaking his head. "You don't understand…"

"What don't I understand?" Amy asked, turning her head to the side to look at Shadow.

"You don't get it, we just can't be friends." The ebony hedgehog replied, making Amy more frustrated.

"Why can't we be friends? There is no book or note that says, "Shadow and Amy cannot be friends." She replied, frowning. She didn't want to have an argument with him, but he was making her do it.

Shadow crossed his arms across his chest, breathing in through the fresh air. "You know you're starting to annoy me now." He said, causing Amy's head to snap to him.

"Me? Haha! That's funny you know, 'cause _you're _the one who's annoying _me_. Can't you just explain to me why you don't wanna be my friend, that way I won't get so frustrated." The pink hedgehog said, feeling a much bigger raindrop hit her on the head. "Actually, that way neither of us will get annoyed."

"Alright, fine." Shadow said, motioning for her to sit on the bench. Once she did so, he also sat down, making sure to leave a good amount of space between them. "I don't want to be your friend, because I'm fed up of having my friends get hurt, or worse, killed. You know Maria, right? She died because of me, and I don't think I can bear it if my friend gets hurt again because of me... If I even have one. And although I don't show it much, I'm surprised at the fact that you would want to be my friend. Don't you know that I'm "dangerous"?" The black and red hedgehog explained, adding a question at the end.

Amy looked at the dark hedgehog with a small smile. "First of all Shadow, it's not your fault that Maria died, and yes I know about what happened to Maria because, um... You see when we first saw you, Sonic told us about you and how your friend died and stuff... I want to be your friend because..." She trailed off, glancing at the ebony hedgehog who was listening to her with his ears perked in a cute way. _Why do I wanna be Shadow's friend? _She thought to herself, biting her bottom lip in concentration. Well, a part of her wanted to be his friend because it would make her mission easier, the slightly bigger part of her wanted to be his friend because she felt kind of bad for him as he was lonely, but the biggest part of her just wanted to be his friend for no reason. The rose-coloured hedgehog turned to Shadow, hearing the thunderstorm roar above them. "I don't know why I wanna be your friend... I really don't. For your last question, I don't think you're dangerous, you're just as heroic as Sonic." Shadow looked up at her after she said the last bit, his crimson eyes showing shock. Amy smiled sweetly at him. "So is that why you didn't wanna be my friend? 'cause you think that being your friend is gonna hurt me or something? Don't worry though, nothing will happen to me as long as I have my hammer with me. Are we friends now?"

"I guess so." Shadow replied, watching a huge smile spread across Amy's face, and her eyes twinkle slightly. He now understood just how much she wanted to be his friend. Without warning, the pink hedgehog ran over to him, and wrapped her arms around his waist. The black and red hedgehog had never seen that coming. Feeling kind of uncomfortable, he just watched Amy bury her face in his chest fur, before she pulled away with a small red blush on her muzzle.

"Sorry." Some raindrops started falling down from the grey sky, a wide grin stretching out on Amy's mouth. She opened up her umbrella, holding it over both of their heads. "Let's go eat, Shadow!" The pink hedgehog grabbed Shadow's hand, starting to drag him to her favourite shop. Shadow moved away from the umbrella, causing Amy to stop and look at him with a small frown on her face. She hoped that he hadn't changed his mind about being her friend.

"That thing of yours is girly, I don't want to be seen under it." He said, watching a few giggles come out of the rose female's mouth.

"Awww! Come on, Shadow. It doesn't matter, look!" She pointed to a couple standing under a purple umbrella not far away. The girl seemed very happy, while the guy looked very uncomfortable. "See? It doesn't matter if my umbrella's girly, you're not the only guy standing under a girlish umbrella. Now come on!" Amy grabbed his hand again, pulling him under the umbrella. "Oh sorry. I didn't even think of asking what your favourite food was." She shook her head, rolling her jade green eyes. The pink hedgehog then flashed a smile at him. "So, what is your favourite food?" She asked.

"I don't have a favourite food, just take us wherever you want." Shadow replied, shrugging his shoulders.

"Pizza, then! Come on!" Amy exclaimed, changing her direction. Both of them ran through the rain holding the umbrella above their heads, Shadow slowing down so that the pink hedgehog could keep up, the corners of his lips curving up in a small smile. He was happy to have a friend again, even though she could be annoying sometimes.

After a while, both hedgehogs entered a pizza shop, unaware of the emerald green eyes watching them...

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**:O Who could that be? It's kinda obvious actually. :) I hope you guys enjoyed reading this chappie as much as I enjoyed writing it! Thanx again to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, I hope this new one wasn't a disappointment!**

**Joke of the day: What's a hedgehog's favourite snack? I chose this joke from my joke book coz it reminds of Sonic The Hedgehog, lol. As usual, you can either write your answers in your reviews or simply PM me. I'm starting to like this whole business about telling you guys a joke, and waiting for your answers! =) I'm not bothered to say, "don't cheat" because people do anyway. :P**

**Please leave a review before you leave!**

**-Amy**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hey guys! Another update. :) OH MY GOD! Thank you guys sooo much for the _wonderful _reviews, seriously. :) I wanted to get over 100 reviews by the time I finished this fic, but you guys are very kind, giving me feedback and stuff, so thanx! =) My sis told me that people wouldn't like my fic, but you guys proved her wrong, thanx again. :P**

**I wanna specially thank you guys, so... Thank you to: _LilSassySally_, _Kellie Fay_, _MEGAANIMEFREAK27, SakuraDreamerz, DemonGann, Person46, G.G, MikaitoLuv29, casey10rok, ShadowsAngel1, Hazel The Rabbit, brookdalebunny, DJShayShay, Toxic the Hedgehog, QuirkyRevelations, BlackSandHeart, Maga Valkyria, Ella, BlackPetals23, rose the hedghog, Gamyie, Myestica and I LOVE SONAMY_. Thank you guys for all of your support, all of you rock! :) I LOVE SONAMY: Sorry, this isn't a SonAmy fic. But you can check out one of my other stories called, "All That Matters", it's SonAmy. :) DJShayShay: It wouldn't show the last part of your name, so I just wrote it like that, I hope that you don't mind. :)**

**And for the joke... *Drumroll* No one won! :( The answer actually is... Prickled onions. But let's give everyone a round of applause for trying very hard and using their brains! *Applause* :) And without further ado, enjoy chapter 11! =)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic The Hedgehog.**

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**Chapter 11**

"Why aren't you eating, Shadow?" The rose hedgehog asked, taking a small bite from her pizza. Both hedgehogs were sitting on a table, Amy enjoying her food, while Shadow just stared at his pizza.

"What is this?" He said, holding up a piece of pizza, picking out the mushrooms.

The pink hedgehog giggled, her hand moving towards her can of coke. "It's called a pizza, Shadow. And don't worry, the mushrooms are not poisonous." Amy sipped from the can slowly, her eyes on the ebony male. He still didn't take a bite off of his pizza, just staring at it with an expressionless face. Giggling to herself again, Amy said, "Look, I'll prove it to you that it's not poisonous." She took another bite, making sure that a mushroom went in her mouth as well.

"No, it's not that. I'm just not hungry." Shadow shoved the pizza away slowly, folding his arms across his chest, while watching the pink hedgehog enjoy her dinner. Amy felt her face flush red slightly, not wanting his attention on her. What if she embarrassed herself in front of him? The rose hedgehog took even smaller bites, making sure to wipe her mouth with a napkin after each bite she took. She reached for her drink again, leaning back in her seat, taking a small sip.

After a few minutes, with Shadow still watching her with unblinking eyes, Amy cleared her throat. "Um, Shadow? Can you stop looking at me like that; it makes me think that I have something on my face." She bit her lip, watching his eyes blink a few times.

"Sure, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." The black and red hedgehog said, causing Amy to smile slightly. "Do you… Don't you want to spend time with your other friends?" Shadow asked, a frown pulling at the corners of the pink female's mouth. "I know what you're thinking. You think that I don't want to spend time with you right?" When he saw her eyes widen, he nodded his head. "So I did guess right, but what you're thinking, it's not true. We're friends now, aren't we? And if this is going to make you feel better, I like being your friend." He smiled just a tiny bit, seeing Amy return the smile. Shadow was starting to warm up to Amy, and he knew it. "What I'm curious about though is, I haven't seen you spending much time with your other friends, and I certainly, haven't seen you chasing the faker."

Amy smiled nervously, not really sure if he'd like her answer. "Well… Cream is out of town with Vanilla, and Tails is always busy adding new stuff to his x-tornado. Um, I decided that Sonic will confess his true feelings for me, if I don't chase him, so that's why I'm not stalking him anymore." She admitted, watching Shadow's face go into the mask that he always wore. She wasn't really sure what he thought about her choice.

"Hmm… Just be careful, alright? You're my… Friend now and I wouldn't want you getting hurt by the blue faker, physically or emotionally." Shadow noticed that the pink hedgehog had finished her food, so he stood up, Amy following his movements. Wanting to change the subject, he glanced at Amy. "I'm sorry. I don't have any money, otherwise I would have paid."

The rose female's eyes widened slightly. She shook her head. "No, no. It's alright. I can see that you're trying to be a gentleman, but…" Amy trailed off with a grin, which Shadow responded back with a smile. She slammed the money on the table, waving at the waiter, then pointing to the money. When she was sure that the waiter saw her, she shyly grabbed Shadow's hand, leading them both out of the pizza shop.

"I'm not a baby you know, I can walk for myself." Shadow said, probably out of embarrassment. Amy let go of his hand, giggling a little. "Would you like me to take you back to your house?" The ebony hedgehog asked, causing Amy to playfully hit him in the side.

"Of course Shadow! What kind of friend are you then, if you're not gonna take back me to my house?" She asked, opening her pink umbrella. The rain had slowed down a bit, but it was still there. The sky had turned dark since they had last looked at it, hinting that it was going to be night-time soon.

"No way am I going to walk under your _girly _thing _again_!" Shadow groaned, stepping away from the umbrella, and letting the rain fall on him. Amy was so used to him being dull and grumpy and emotionless, that the new Shadow always kind of surprised her when she saw him act this way. It just wasn't really like him. She supposed that he used to be like this with Maria, except more nicer. Maria was his first, best friend ever, so of course he should have liked her more. _Why am I thinking about this? _The pink hedgehog asked herself, shaking her head a little. She then turned her attention to Shadow, who was starting to get wet. Rolling her eyes a little, she held the umbrella over his head, moving to stand next to him.

"You don't really have a choice, Shadow. It's either walking under the umbrella, or walking in the rain, which means getting a cold." Amy said, starting to walk. She stopped when she saw Shadow still standing in the same place, almost as if he was frozen or something.

"I'd rather walk in the rain than walk under _that_." The stubborn male hedgehog answered, before smirking slightly. "But I have a better idea…" Shadow trailed off, watching Amy's eyebrows cocking up in confusion.

"What?" She asked, turning around fully to look at him. Shadow grinned, slowly walking up to Amy.

"If we run through the rain, we won't really feel it right? Remember that day I carried you to your house and it was raining?" He asked, watching understanding flash across Amy's face.

"Oh, yeah I remember. But I can't really run fast." The pink hedgehog answered, seeing Shadow shake his head and sigh.

"You're not going to run. I'm going to carry you like last time, which means not getting really wet. And to be honest, I like the idea of this for than that of walking under a girly umbrella, or walking in the rain. So, what do you say?" Amy sighed, nodding her head up and down.

"Alright, but what about the umbrella? How are we going to carry it?" She questioned, glancing at the ebony hedgehog, while blowing some pink quills out of her eyes.

"The umbrella? I'll carry it in my mouth." Shadow replied, rolling his eyes a bit.

"Ha ha. Very funny." The rose hedgehog said sarcastically, closing her pink umbrella. The rain splattered down on her, causing Amy to shiver slightly. "What am I supposed to do with it then?" She asked, the dark hedgehog staring at her in disbelief.

"Please tell me you're joking. It's so obvious, you're going to hold on to it. I'm sure you can do that while I'm running. It's not like it's a wardrobe or a fridge that you can't carry, or do you really expect me to carry it in my mouth?" Amy only gave him a little glare, watching him chuckle at her expression.

"Whatever. Just take me to my house already." She said, walking towards Shadow. The ebony hedgehog scooped her up in his arms, feeling the umbrella poke him in the chest.

"Can you hold that thing of yours in an angle so that it doesn't poke me?" He requested, Amy immediately holding the umbrella in her other hand. "Hold on tightly." Shadow warned, feeling her hands crawl up and wrap around his neck. "Don't hold my neck too hard." He said, Amy loosening her hold.

"Sorry." She muttered, the dark hedgehog nodding his head, before he skated off.

"To the same place as before?" Shadow asked, looking down at her with a normal epression.

Amy's hair whipped in the breeze, the sky starting to go even darker than before. Even though Shadow was running very fast, she could still feel some rain on her face, mixed in with the wind that Shadow's running made. "Yup. To the same place."

xXx

"Sonic? Sonic!" A yellow fox waved his hand in front of the blue hero's face. Sonic snapped out of his trance, grinning at Tails sheepishly.

"What's the matter little bro?" He asked, stretching his hands above his head. The azure hedgehog was sitting down on a little stool in Tails's workshop, watching the little fox mend something.

"Nothing. I saw you staring off into space, and I wondered if everything was alright. You're not like your usual self. Want to talk about it?" Tails asked with a hint of concern in his voice. Usually Sonic was like a chatter box, talking about anything and everything, but today... The hero had hardly spoken, which was completely unlike him. Sonic faked a grin at the fox, standing up on his feet.

"Of course everything's alright! You don't need to worry Tails, it's nothing." He assured his best friend, who was more like his little brother. "You know what? I'm gonna go for a run buddy, see ya later!" Sonic waved at Tails, rushing to the door.

"Sonic, wait!" The yellow fox called out, but Sonic had already left. Tails walked up to the open door, peering outside slowly. It was raining. "Weird. Sonic doesn't like the rain, so why would he want to go for a run in this type of weather?" He scrathed his neck, before closing the door and locking it. Shrugging, he walked to his water bottle, taking big gulps of water. Boy, was he thirsty! "If there was something wrong, Sonic would have told me, wouldn't he? I shouldn't worry so much." The little fox went to a device he was mending, pursing his lips together. "I should just mind my business. Now, how to fix this..."

xXx

Sonic ran through the rain, not really caring if he got wet. There were much more important things that he needed answers for. For example: What was Amy doing with Shadow outside the pizza shop? The blue hedghog's eyes narrowed slightly. Amy was spending too much time with Shadow these days. _Can you hear yourself, Sonic? You're jealous. _His conscience told him, causing Sonic's eyes to nearly pop out of their sockets. "What? I'm not jealous! I'm only concerned about her safety. Shadow really isn't the brightest person to be hanging out with." He answered back, frowning slightly. _Are you saying that you are more brighter than Shadow? _The voice inside his head said again, a groan escaping from Sonic's mouth. "I'm not JEALOUS!" He yelled, running even faster. _Yeah, sure you aren't. _Sonic couldn't take it any more, he wasn't jealous of Shadow The Hedgehog. "You know what? Screw you!"

The azure male skidded to a halt, not feeling the rain fall down on him, so obviously it had stopped. Could it _really _be true? Did he like Amy? Sonic shook his head. Of course he didn't! Why did he feel that way when he saw her and the ebony hedgehog together then? That feeling deep down inside him, the feeling of… Jealousy.

Sonic ran a hand through his blue quills, a groan leaving his mouth. "God, this is so frustrating!" He sighed loudly, his feet walking automatically. "I'll think about this later, right now, I've gotta go back to the workshop. Tails is probably getting worried now." After the last sentence, the blue blur rushed off.

xXx

Amy giggled softly, as Shadow let her stand on her feet. "Thank you, Shadow!" She giggled again, watching the male hedgehog's chest rise up and down, trying to catch his breath. He had been running for a long time, Amy sometimes stopping him for a drink, saying that she was thirsty. Shadow gave her a little grin, finally being able to catch his breath.

"No problem, I should be going now." He said, turning around to walk away.

"No, wait!" Amy yelled, grabbing his arm. "Where are you going?" She asked, Shadow giving her a look that said, "Isn't it obvious?" "Yeah, yeah, but where? Where do you live?"

"Where everyone lives, on earth, I thought that was obvious." The ebony hedgehog muttered, causing Amy to roll her emerald green eyes.

"Not that! I meant where do you live, you know, stay, sleep, live…?" She trailed off, waiting for his answer. The dark hedgehog sighed, folding his arms across his chest.

"If you really want to know, I live on the roofs of peoples' houses." Amy waited for him to say that he was joking, but when she saw him looking at her seriously, her eyes widened so much that Shadow thought that they were going to pop out. "What?" He asked.

"Shadow, why didn't you tell me that you live on the roofs? I could have…" The pink hedgehog trailed off, a frown on her lips.

The dark hedgehog unfolded his arms, cocking one eyebrow. "What's so bad about living on the roofs? It's nice actually, feeling fresh air and watching the stars." Shadow smiled a little, his smile disappearing once he saw Amy's frown deepen.

"Where do you sleep and rest when it rains?" She asked her new friend, concerned about where he lived.

"It's kind of obvious really, on the roof." Shadow answered, causing Amy to shake her head and glare at him a little.

"That's it! You're staying with me while we find you somewhere to live, I have a guest room. Actually you can stay with me forever if you want to." Amy shrugged her shoulders, the male hedgehog's head snapping to her.

"No, I can't stay with you." Shadow said, crossing his arms over his chest again, shaking his head.

The rose female frowned, her hands going to her hips. "And why can't you stay with me? Are you saying that a friend can't stay over another friend's house?" She asked, watching Shadow's shoulders drop in defeat. Amy smirked. She got him every time with the mention of "friends".

"Fine, fine... But I'll only be staying here until we find myself somewhere to live." The black and red streaked hedgehog answered, Amy grabbing his hand and leading him to her house. "I'm _not _a baby! I can walk myself!" Shadow moved his hands away, the pink hedgehog grinning at him. They entered Amy's house, the rose female flicking the lights on as they made their way to the living room. Shadow slumped down on the couch, sighing loudly. "What a long day." He said, watching Amy walk up to him with a sly smile. He raised an eyebrow, wondering what she was up to.

"And it's about to get even longer." The petite hedgehog grinned at him, pulling his hand, making him stand up from the couch. "I'm gonna give you a tour of my house! Exciting, isn't it?" Amy asked, giggling a bit at his reaction.

"Very." Shadow replied with a groan, letting Amy drag him away. What have I got myself into?

* * *

**Lol, poor Shadow! :P Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this chappie, it was slightly longer than the last one. :) Thanx again for the lovely reviews, honestly, you guys are very supportive. =)**

**Joke (Don't worry, I picked one that is kinda easier than the last one, and you can probably find it on Google :P): Why are adults always complaining? If you don't wanna do that, here's another one: What music do aliens like to listen to? And of course, you can answer both of them if you want to, have fun guys! :)**

**Please leave a review, the reason why I'm updating so quickly is because of you guys, all of you inspire me to continue! ^_^**

**-Amy :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Hey guys, here's the next chapter of... Without The Mask, whatever. :P A quick thank you to: _SakuraDreamerz, Myestica, ShadowsAngel1, BlackPetals23, aliciathewolf45, MikaitoLuv29, DJShayShay, Ella, MEGAANIMEFREAK27, QuirkyRevelations, G.G, Gamyie, king of shadows and Guest_. You guys... I just don't know what to say. :D You're all very supportive, and you guys always make me feel better whenever my siblings think that me writing STH stories are childish. :) **

**For the jokes: I'm sorry, but no-one got it right. :( But again, a round of applause for everyone who tried. *Applause* Here are the answers:**

**Why are adults alway complaining: Because they are groan-ups. :P**

**What music do aliens like to listen to: Nep-tunes. XD **

**Enjoy this chappie!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own STH.**

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**Chapter 12**

"And this is where you'll be staying, Shadow." Amy told the ebony hedgehog, opening the door of the guest room and striding in. "So, do you like it?" She tilted her head to the side, waiting for Shadow to say something. "You don't like it?" The rose hedgehog pouted, watching the black and red male blink his eyes a few times, his gaze traveling all around the room.

"Of course I like it! What a lovely pink colour!" Shadow answered sarcastically, causing Amy to roll her jade green eyes at him. He turned to look at her, nodding his head at the room. "Can I ask you something?" Shadow asked, not really waiting for her to answer. "What is it about the colour pink that you like so much? Why don't you like any other colour?"

Amy glared at him a little, moving to take a seat on the bed. She patted the bed, gesturing for Shadow to also take a seat. The ebony hedgehog did so, again, leaving a good amount of space between them. The pink female rolled her eyes, sliding closer to him, until there were only a few inches between them. She felt Shadow stiffen, but she paid no attention to it, linking her arm through his. Shadow stiffened even more, feeling Amy put her head on his shoulder. "Relax, Shadow. You're my friend now, and I hug my friends all the time, this isn't even really a hug." She said, the black and red-streaked hedgehog unfreezing from his stiff posture. "And for your question… I like all the colours, but I like pink and red the most." Amy answered his question, snuggling into his arm. "You know, you're actually a very nice person when people get to know you more. I mean, I always found you kind of intimidating, but now…

"But now what?" Shadow asked, still feeling uncomfortable with Amy attached to his arm.

"Now you're not really intimidating anymore, I'm glad that you're my friend." The pink hedgehog admitted, smiling brightly while letting his arm go. "I always knew that you were a nice person, but some people judge you before they actually know-"

"Like the faker?" He cut her off, Amy biting her bottom lip softly.

"Uh… No, not really. He likes you like a friend, but because you hate him, um… It makes him not like you that much, and that's what makes him think that you're not a very nice person to be hanging out with." The pink hedgehog defended her blue hero, seeing Shadow's eyes narrow.

"Are you trying to say that it's my entire fault that the faker doesn't "like" me?" He asked, Amy's eyes widening.

"Of course not! It's not your fault! I just don't like seeing my friends wanting to rip each others eyeballs out every time they see each other." The rose female replied, sighing. "Let's not talk about this anymore, yeah?" Amy asked, watching Shadow nod his head.

"I wouldn't like to waste my time talking about the faker, but you're the one who started this all." He crossed his arms across his chest, causing Amy's mouth to fall open. She closed her mouth, standing up to her feet.

"Well, the tour is finished, and you like your room, so… Why don't we…" Amy trailed off, glancing at Shadow, watching him also rise up to his feet.

"Who said that I liked this room?" He questioned, causing Amy to roll her eyes.

"Yeah, well… You're staying here even if you don't want to. My room is even worse than this room." She stuck her tongue out at him, causing the ebony male to chuckle.

"Ok, whatever you say…" Shadow said, following Amy as she walked out of the room, a huge smile on her face. They walked down the stairs, and into the living room.

Amy walked to the sofa, before sitting down, Shadow mimicking her movements. "Oh, it's only five minutes past eight, you can watch the TV." She stood up again, the ebony hedgehog looking up at her in confusion.

"Where are you going?" He asked, making Amy turn around and smile at him.

"Don't worry, I'm only going to take a shower, you can go after me if you want to." She said, Shadow nodding his head in understanding.

"Oh, ok. I will have a bath after you." He said, reaching for the remote control.

Amy smiled, heading for the bathroom, before stopping. She turned around to face him, a cheeky grin on muzzle. "Do you know how to use a remote control?"

"Ha ha." Shadow said sarcastically, but smiled a little anyway. The ebony hedgehog made himself more comfortable on the couch, a sigh escaping from his lips.

"I'll be back," Amy walked away, not before giving him a final smile.

xXx

"Shadow?" The pink hedgehog asked, using the wall for support. The lights had all gone off, making everywhere very dark. Amy closed her eyes, before she opened them again. It didn't make any difference. Feeling her way towards the living room, she clutched her bathrobe tightly around her, a small shiver running down her spine. Her hair was all wet, water droplets dropping down on the floor, hardly making any sound. The rose female walked to where she thought the sofas were, her hands in front of her, trying to feel something. _Stupid electricity! Knows the best time to stop working. _Amy thought to herself sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Shadow?" She called out again, hoping to get an answer from him.

"Yes?" His voice came out from somewhere, a sigh of relief escaping from the pink hedgehog.

"Thank goodness! For a second there, I actually thought that you had - Ahhhhh!" Amy yelled, running into something or someone. She felt arms wrap around her waist in an effort to stop her from falling on them, but not being able to succeed. The female felt herself falling on the other person, his arms still wrapped tightly around her waist. As they landed on the floor, Amy's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets, as her lips made contact with another pair of warm lips...

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**So, what do you guys think of this chapter? I'm sorry if it was short, but... Once I start writing, I get bored very quickly. :P I picked a _very _easy joke this time, so... Here it is. =)**

**Why is six afraid of seven? I'm hoping that at least 10 people get it right, lol. :D Please don't forget to leave a review for me, thanx again to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. :)**

**-Amy**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Hello people! :) Here's the next chapter of WTM (short for Without The Mask). ;) A _HUGE _thank you to: _derrick, G.G, sonic, Mike Birbiglia, SoulHeart2011, brookdalebunny , LilSassySally, aliciathewolf45, MEGAANIMEFREAK27 , DemonGann , BlackPetals23, nadiamirah, Ella, Myestica, ShadowFanGirl29, NecromancyIsMyGame , BlackSandHeart, Gamyie, Midnight Alexis Thorn, QuirkyRevelations, ShadowsAngel1, SakuraDreamerz, casey10rok, Guest (Rose The Hedgehog), Chicket the Chickadee, Toxic the Hedgehog, _****_blossom girl 2 and Sazie_. Let's hope that I haven't missed anyone. :) Anyway, I don't know how to show you guys how much I really appreciate your feedback and reviews. All of you have no idea how happy I get when I read your reviews. =)**

***Clears throat* About the joke... The people who got the joke right are: _SoulHeart2011, brookdalebunny, LilSassySally, MEGAANIMEFREAK27, DemonGann, nadiamirah, Ella, ShadowFanGirl29, BlackSandHeart, Gamyie, Midnight Alexis Thorn, QuirkyRevelations, ShadowsAngel1,_** **_SakuraDreamerz, casey10rok, Guest (Rose The Hedgehog), Chicket the Chickadee and blossom girl 2_. Looks like more than 10 people got it right, lol. :D Anyone who either said because 7 ate 9, or 7 8 9, or even seven ate/eight nine, you guys got it right. As for those people who didn't get it right, don't worry, there's always other jokes. ^_^ **

**Disclaimer: I don't own STH.**

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**Chapter 13**

Amy lay frozen over the ebony hedgehog, her eyes still wide. She couldn't get herself to move, no matter how much she tried. It was kind of as if she was glued on top of him. Underneath her, she felt Shadow also freeze, and she wished that she could see his reaction at her on top of him. As if answering her wish, the lights turned on again, making the pink hedgehog regret ever wishing that.

Shadow's eyes were wide a little, and they were locked on hers. She saw the shock and surprise in his scarlet orbs. The rose female found her lips moving against his a little, noticing how soft and warm his mouth actually was. His hands slowly removed from her waist, pushing her gently away. Amy's face flushed a deep red, and she was sure that she looked like a tomato at that moment. She quickly rolled off of him, standing up to her feet, and turning her face around. She held her bathrobe around herself tighter, biting her lip softly. What was she thinking, kissing him like that?! Amy's face turned even redder, and it felt as if her cheeks were on fire! Her ears perked up, hearing him also stand up to his feet, and she could tell that he was looking at her; the prickling sensation on her neck told her so.

"Well…" Shadow was the first one to break the uncomfortable silence. "This is really awkward." He said, the pink hedgehog rolled her eyes. As if she didn't already know that. "It was an accident, let's not get embarrassed." The ebony male added, causing Amy to turn around. Her eyes scanned his face, wanting to see what he felt about what had just happened, but… All she could see was his usual expressionless mask. And somewhere deep down, she couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed. The pink female frowned, not knowing where that feeling came from. She would think about it later, right now she had to say something back to Shadow.

"Hmm, yeah, if it wasn't for the stupid power it wouldn't have happened." She said, pursing her lips. "Not just that, my clumsy walking too. Seriously, if they gave me a job in the circus, I'd make a very good clown." Amy laughed, trying to soften up the awkward atmosphere. To her relief, Shadow grinned, before he smirked.

"I bet you would! Look, are you done in the bathroom?" He asked, the pink hedgehog nodding her head.

"I totally forgot that you also wanted to take a shower, go on then." Amy glanced down at her pink bathrobe. "While you do that, I'll change into my clothes." She said, heading for the stairs, before Shadow's voice stopped her in her tracks.

"You really love the colour pink, don't you." He stated more than asked, the pink hedgehog grinning at him.

"Of course I do! Look, if it really bothers you, I'll go shopping tomorrow and buy some different coloured clothes and things." Amy said, standing on the first step of the stairs. She was glad that everything was back to normal again and not uncomfortable.

Shadow shook his head. "No, I don't really care. But it's always nice to wear different coloured clothes now and then." He also headed for the stairs in a black and red blur, startling Amy as he stood at the top of the stairs. "Come on, slowcoach!" He said playfully, causing the pink hedgehog to gasp and glare at him. She was being playful too.

"I'm not _that _slow! It's you who's fast like a… A, oh I don't know! Like a train?" Amy asked, smiling.

"Nope, faster than that." Shadow grinned down at her, although there was slight boredom in his gaze. The pink hedgehog rolled her jade green eyes, walking up the stairs.

"Less showing off, more working!" She playfully shoved him in the bathroom, closing the door behind him, and hearing him chuckle from the other side. "Now, let's get myself changed into my pajamas."

xXx

Amy forced her eyes open, looking blankly at the TV screen. Nothing interesting was on today. She heard feet moving down the stairs and into the living, causing her to sit up immediately. Shadow took a seat next to her on the sofa, grinning at her with amusement in his red eyes. "You look tired." He said, watching her eyelids move up quickly.

"No! I'm not tired." She said, sounding as if Shadow was her father and was going to send her to bed if he saw her falling asleep. The thought caused the ebony male to chuckle, Amy raising an eyebrow at him. "Why are you laughing?" She demanded, Shadow shaking his head.

"Nothing." He looked at her from head to toe. The pink hedgehog was wearing dark pink shorts and a long short-sleeved light pink top with the words, "Pretty in Pink". "You look pretty in pink." Shadow said kind of sarcastically, causing the pink female to punch him on the shoulder, not really hard though. "I wasn't joking, you really do look nice. I can see now that you'll never get bored of pink." He added, Amy rolling her eyes.

"Whatever, let's watch the boring show, at least it's better than you mocking my taste." She said, leaning on him with her head on his shoulder. It looked like he had gotten used to that.

"I'm not mocking your taste, did you ever hear me laugh a-" Shadow started but got cut off by Amy.

"Shh!" The pink hedgehog leaned into him even more, forcing her eyes open as she stared at the TV. A few minutes later, her soft snores were heard, causing Shadow to chuckle a little. He gently pushed her back, before standing up. Scooping her into his arms, he walked quietly to the stairs, careful not to make a noise. On the way, he glanced down at her face, his crimson eyes trailing around her face properly for the first time. Tucking in a strand of pink hair behind her ear out of her face, he smiled slightly. _I like being your friend, Amy. You're a nice person, you remind me of… Maria._

Shadow laid the pink hedgehog down on her bed, noticing with slight amusement that her room really was worse than the guest room. There was pink everywhere, he couldn't see one spot that was a different colour. As he moved away from her bed, her hand suddenly shot out, grabbing his hand. "Don't leave me." Amy muttered in her sleep, Shadow gently pulling his hand away from hers and pulling the duvet up to her shoulders.

"Goodnight… Amy." He said, closing her door with a soft click. If he had stayed one second longer, he would have heard Amy mumble his name in her sleep.

xXx

Amy shot up on her bed, sweat rolling down her forehead. _What a weird dream. _She thought to herself, running a hand through her neck-length pink quills. She didn't really feel like thinking about her dream, she had got confused enough when she was dreaming it. The pink hedgehog walked to her room's door, her hand freezing on the doorknob. _How did I get here? _She frowned, before the corners of her lips curved up, forming a smile. "Shadow must have brought me here after I fell asleep in the living room." Amy muttered to herself, Shadow's name reminding her of her dream. Her head turned towards the clock on the wall. It was midnight, so obviously Shadow wasn't awake, unless he was the awake type.

Walking out of the room, the rose female slowly climbed down the stairs, peeking in the living room. The light was off. Amy made her way to the kitchen, where she poured herself a cup of water, and drank hungrily. She had never been this thirsty before. "Up for a midnight snack?" A voice said out of nowhere, causing the pink hedgehog to nearly jump out of her skin. Spinning on her heel, she came face to face with an amused Shadow, who's arms were folded across his chest. Amy sighed in relief, one hand flying up to her chest, where she placed it where her heart was.

"Shadow, oh my God, you scared the hell outta me!" She glared at him a little, seeing him chuckle. "No, I'm not here for a midnight snack. I'm very thirsty." She added, Shadow uncrossing his arms and walking up to the fridge.

"What a coincidence, I am thirsty too." He said in a bored voice, Amy noticing that his quills were messy a little from sleeping. She also noticed how good he looked like that... _Oh stop it Amy! _She told herself mentally, smiling up at the ebony hedgehog.

"Thanks for taking me to my room, honestly, it was very kind of you." Amy told him, watching him as he grabbed a bottle of water and drank from it.

"Yeah?" Shadow closed the lid of the bottle, before putting it back inside the fridge. "What kind of friend doesn't take another friend to their room when they're sleeping?" He asked, earning a wide smile from Amy.

"A bad friend!" She giggled, the black and red hedgehog laughing a little too. "Look, we should really be going to bed. I've got to be able to wake up tomorrow, you know, go shopping." Amy grinned at him. "I'm going to be getting rid of some pink stuff!

"Sure, I'm not stopping you. Goodnight, Rose." Shadow walked out of the kitchen, the pink female right behind him.

"Rose?" Amy couldn't help but smile at the nickname he had given her, secretly liking it. The dark hedgehog turned to her, a small smirk on his face.

"Of course. I think that Rose suits you better than what that faker calls you. Ames, what kind of nickname is that?" Shadow said, before adding, "Let's go back to sleep now, I don't know about you, but I'm really tired." The pink hedgehog could tell that he wanted an excuse to get away. He probably didn't want to talk about her new nickname anymore.

Amy shrugged, nodding for him to go on. In a black and red smudge, he ran up the stairs and into the guest room, the door slamming shut. The rose hedgehog took her time walking up the stairs, not really sleepy anymore. When she got to her room, she laid down on her bed, kicking the duvet away from her. She stared at the blank ceiling, some things running through her mind, all of them about one person... Shadow. Amy wondered why she had kissed him earlier on today, and why she had dreamt about him.

Sighing, she turned on her side, imagining the dark hedgehog. They were friends now. She couldn't help, but smile at that thought. Her dream then flashed before her vision, a frown pulling on her lips. _It's just a dream, it doesn't mean anything. _The pink hedgehog shook her thoughts off of her dream, putting it on the back of her mind. The kiss though, why had she kissed him? Amy bit her lip, and blushed softly at the memory. "I got caught in the moment, that's why." She ignored the feeling down deep that told her that wasn't why she did it. "I might as well try to get some sleep, thinking about these things are just gonna confuse me even more." And with a last glance at the clock, she pulled the covers over her head.

* * *

**I made this chappie sligthly longer than the last chapter. :) Oh, and you'll certainly find out about Amy's dream later on, it has something to do with the story. It might seem confusing now, but you guys will get it when the time comes. =) Oops, nearly forgot about telling you guys a joke. So... **

**Here's the joke: Which month do soldiers hate the most? It's kinda an easy one, all you have to do is look at the months and chose one that you think is the answer. There, I've given you guys a clue, so no point in cheating. :P**

**Review for me, please? :)**

**-Amy**

**BTW: I've got a new poll on my profile, you guys should check it out, if you want to that is. =)**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Hi guys! Here is the next chapter of WTM. I'm glad that you guys seem to like this fic, and will appreciate your kind feedbacks forever. :) Thanks to: ShadowsAngel1, SoulHeart2011, Toxic the Hedgehog, aliciathewolf45, nadiamirah, Mike Birbiglia, brookdalebunny, MEGAANIMEFREAK27, Guest, Myestica, ShadowFanGirl29, BlackSandHeart, I LOVE SONAMY, casey10rok, Guest, Ella, QuirkyRevelations, Gamyie, Twilight the Wolf, Guest, Sazie, NecromancyIsMyGame, Amy roxs1, rose the hedghog and Shadow of Darkness 78 for the wonderful reviews they gave me in the last chapter. =) Also, a huge thank you to everyone who is following this story, and those people who faved it. ^_^ **

**The Joke: The answer is... *Drumroll* MARCH! SoulHeart2011, Toxic the Hedgehog, aliciathewolf45, Mike Birbiglia, brookdalebunny, MEGAANIMEFREAK27, Myestica, ShadowFanGirl29, BlackSandHeart, casey10rok, Guest, QuirkyRevelations, Gamyie, Twilight the Wolf, Guest, Sazie, NecromancyIsMyGame, Amy roxs1, rose the hedghog and Shadow of Darkness 78. Well done you guys! *Cheers* :) Oh, and three reviewers reviewed with the name "Guest", so don't think that I accidently put more than one Guest. :P And without further ado, on to chapter 14, yay!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic The Hedgehog, and I never will. :( **

* * *

**Chapter 14**

Shadow groaned and rolled out of bed, a yawn escaping from his mouth. He looked at the pink room, while rolling his eyes a little. Walking over to the door, he opened it and poked his head out. It was quiet. _Too quiet. _He thought to himself, narrowing his eyes. The ebony hedgehog made his way to Amy's bedroom, just to make sure that everything was ok. "Amy?" Shadow knocked on the wooden door, and when he didn't hear any movement or noise, he went inside. Red eyes trailed around the room, before resting on the bed. It was already made, and there was no sign of the pink female anywhere. "There's no need to panic, she's probably gone out. She did say something about going shopping yesterday." Shadow shrugged, and walked down the stairs and into the living room. "Yep, I was right." He snatched the note from the table, his eyes scanning it.

_Morning! I've gone out to do some shopping, so don't panic, although you probably won't. I would have made you breakfast, but I didn't know what you would want, so help yourself! I'm sure you can find the things you want. Won't be long!_

_Amy_

_x_

The black and red-streaked hedgehog chuckled, while shaking his head. Why did she think that he wouldn't panic? _Never mind, I'll ask her when she's home. _Shadow thought, squinting his eyes at the "x" at the bottom of the note. _What does that mean? I'll ask her that too when she's back. Right now, I'm gonna find something to eat._

xXx

The pink female hummed to herself quietly, holding two shopping bags in each hand. _Shopping wasn't so bad, I can't wait to show Shadow what I bought. Boy, is he going to be- _Amy stopped in mid-thought as she rounded a corner, and ran into someone. "Sorry! I wasn't looking where I was goi-"

"Ames?" The person asked, causing Amy to gasp, then smile brightly.

"Sonic! It's you!" She dropped the bags from her hands, and reached out to hug him. Her arms were nearly around him, when she stopped herself, and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry." The rose hedgehog hadn't touched him since her plan, and she wasn't about to ruin it now. Amy bended down to pick up her bags, not seeing the blue hedgehog frown. The frown left Sonic's mouth when Amy got up, and he smiled instead.

"Don't worry. So, how are ya doin' these days Ames? I haven't seen you much." He said, knowing that it had something to do with a certain dark hedgehog...

Amy smiled at him, happy that her beloved Sonikku was talking to her. "Nothing. Well, I found out that Shadow lived on the roofs, and so I told him that he could come and live with me. I get lonely sometimes Sonikku, it's nice to have his company."

"Just be careful Amy, the guy can be dangerous." Sonic frowned at the idea of Shadow in the same house as Amy. He didn't know why he cared so much, why he got this strange feeling around Amy these days... _She's your friend, and you're just looking out for her. _He thought to himself, nodding mentally.

"It's nice to know that you care, Sonic," The pink hedgehog broke in through his thoughts. "But Shadow is a really nice guy, seriously. I don't know why people don't like him. He's my friend now too, Sonic, and he's so sweet! Calls me "Rose" now, my nickname from him maybe. He's a gentleman, always holding the door open for me when I'm behind him, and letting me go in first..." Amy trailed off, a small smile playing on her lips, her gaze somewhere very distant. She was completely unaware of Sonic frowning at everything she said, unaware of his hands clenching into fists at his side...

_Gah! What IS this feeling? Why won't it go away? Why does it always come when Amy talks about HIM? Why does it feel like fire is running through my veins instead of blood? Why do I wanna hit someone? Why..._ Sonic trailed off in his thoughts, breathing deeply.

Amy blinked her eyes a few times, then smiled at the azure male brightly. The smile that lit up her whole face. The smile that made Sonic want to smile too... "Well, it was nice talking to you Sonic, but I've gotta go now. Shadow's waiting for me." She turned to walk away, only when she gave him one last sweet smile, and disappeared as soon as she turned another corner. Sonic watched after her, even though she was gone, and unclenched his fists, glad that Amy hadn't seen them like that.

"Time to go for a run." He muttered, rushing off.

xXx

"Hello, anyone alive here?" Amy asked in a joking tone, smiling once she saw Shadow sitting down on the sofa, with his arms folded across his chest. He rolled his crimson eyes and nodded a "hello", then unfolded his arms, watching the pink hedgehog as she came closer and dropped the bags on the floor. Amy flopped down on the sofa, and rubbed her sore feet. "Shopping can be tiring as well as fun." She muttered, before flashing the smile that brightened up the room. "Look at what I got you! You're gonna love it!" The rose female exclaimed enthusiastically, seeing one of Shadow's eyebrows rise up. She dug in through the bags, and fished out what she was looking for. In her hands, she held a scarf and a pair of gloves. "The weather has already got cold, but it's gonna get even colder, and so I thought that I should get you something that will keep you warm." Amy smiled, putting it down next to him. "I chose this particular one because it reminded me of you." She added, Shadow glancing at the scarf and gloves. It was red with black stripes going down the sides, and he was black with red streaks. He understood why it reminded her of him.

"Thank you, although I don't really think I'm going to be wearing it." He said, causing Amy to frown.

"Why not? Don't you like it? I thought you would." She said, clasping her hands on her lap, and looking down. Her quills covered her face, and she sighed.

"No, it's not that. It's just me being stupid. I'll wear it when I go out." Shadow hoped that he had made her feel better. God, he was such a jerk! Amy had bought him something, and instead of being grateful, he was being rude. He tried to glance at her face, and wondered if she was crying. Just as he thought that, the pink hedgehog looked up with a big smile on her face. The dark hedgehog managed a smile too, glad that he hadn't hurt her in any way. Shadow tried to ignore the soft spot in his heart, the one that was made just for her.

"Oh thank you Shadow!" Amy threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. His eyes widened a little. The pink hedgehog was making it hard for him to breathe. "Oh, sorry." She giggled nervously, while letting him go.

"Don't worry." The dark hedgehog said, rubbing the back of his neck. He gave her a small smile, and said, "Aren't you gonna show me what else you bought.

Amy grabbed a bag, and starting taking things out from it. "Of course! I got this duvet cover for the guest room, and new curtains too. I know that all that pink stuff must be making you very uncomfortable." She giggled, and took out the red duvet cover.

"You really didn't have to do this, Rose. I was only messing with you about the pink stuff." Shadow said, watching the rose hedgehog roll her jade-green eyes.

"Yeah, well I wanted to. I'll change them later." Amy put the curtain and duvet cover inside, and took something else out of one of the other bags. "I got myself new pyjamas too! See?" She held up a purple short-sleeved top, with purple trousers that had bunnies all over them.

Shadow raised an eyebrow, before sighing. "Honestly, Amy. You didn't have to do all of this. Like I said before, I was only joking with you, I seriously didn't mean going shopping and buying new-"

"Shadow, I _wanted _to, ok? Even if you didn't say what you said about my pink stuff, I would have done this anyway. Well... I'm being honest now. I bought a new cover for the guest room bed and new curtains because of you. I wouldn't want to sleep somewhere where the whole room was blue or any other boyish colour." She smiled at him, putting her new pyjama away too.

"But I'm not staying here forever remember? I'll be leaving soon." The black and red hedgehog said, causing a frown to form on Amy's muzzle.

"Yes you are. Please Shadow, you have to! I get lonely here, and it's not like you don't have a room or something, so why can't you just stay?" She asked, a hopeful look on her face. Shadow sighed, and looked down. He played with his hands, which was very out of character for him to be doing it.

"I don't know. I just don't want to be any trouble, I guess. I've been enough trouble already." He said, not seeing the confusion flicker across the pink female's face.

"I don't understand. What kind of trouble? You've actually been very nice, and I enjoy your company. Hey! Wait a minute! You're my friend right? Can't friends share a house with another friend?" Amy asked, a huge smile spreading across her lips. She knew that she got him there. And she was right, because Shadow chuckled a little and shook his head, not as a "no" kind of way though.

"I guess they can." He smiled, and slumped deeper into the couch. He didn't want to admit that he was glad that she had let him stay. "You're a, er... Good friend, Rose." The dark hedgehog turned his face to glance at the clock, not seeing Amy's smile get wider.

"I know I am!" She giggled, grabbing all the shopping bags, and standing up from the sofa. The pink hedgehog was just about to walk away, when Shadow's voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Amy," He called out, watching her turn around, and tilt her head in confusion.

"Yes? Is everything alright?" Amy couldn't help but feel worried. Shadow's eyebrows shot up, and then he nodded his head.

"Of course, I just wanted to talk to you about this." He held out the note she had left this morning, and the rose hedgehog's mouth formed a little "o". She left the bags on the floor, and moved to sit next to him on the sofa. "Why did you think that I wouldn't panic if I didn't see you?" Shadow asked, surprising her as he frowned deeply.

"I-I don't know. You don't look like the type of person who would p-panic." Amy stuttered, Shadow's expression scaring her a little. His scarlet eyes were glowing a little, and his jaw was tense. He seemed a little angry for some reason. The dark hedgehog closed his eyes and heaved a deep sigh.

"I would panic, in fact I _did _panic." Shadow said softly, surprising the pink female with his words. "You've got to stop believing the stupid humans and the dumb faker about everything they say about me. I've got a heart, Rose, even if I'm not real myself. Black Doom made me, I'm sure you know that, but still... I can feel things the way a real hedgehog would, I can get hurt too, even if I'm an Ultimate Lifeform. You've seen that yourself." His eyes opened, and there was, for the first time, some emotion shown in them. Pain, loneliness... And something that Amy couldn't recognise, but still, she found herself gazing into his beautiful red orbs. "You're my friend now, so of course I would panic." He said it gently, snapping the pink hedgehog out of her trance.

"Sorry, I never thought of that. But it's nice to know that you care." Amy offereda little smile, and breathed in relief when Shadow returned it. "And of course you're real, don't say that ever again." She frowned, causing the darker hedgehog to chuckle softly.

"And what if I do say it again?" He teased, smirking. Amy felt her breath stop for a second, and then her heart started beating very quickly. What the-? Her eyes widened, and she felt a frown pulling at the corners of her lips. Her whole expression changed however, when she saw Shadow look in confusion at her.

"I'd never talk to you ever again!" She stuck out her tongue, and forced a laugh. _I should just ignore what happened a second ago. _The pink hedgehog nodded her head mentally, and smiled at the male hedgehog.

Shadow returned the smile with a small grin, and then pursed his lips, another out-of-character move for him. Amy couldn't help, but think that he looked really cute. "By the way, what does this mean?" He pointed to the "x" at the bottom of the note, the pink hedgehog leaning closer to take a look, and when she had, her whole face flushed red.

"Oh, that." Amy giggled, choking a little. Shadow raised an eyebrow at her weird behaviour, causing the small female to mentally slap herself. "That means, um... A k-kiss, I always put it at the end of my notes when I write to my friends." She said, scanning his face for any anger. She didn't know why he would be angry though, it wasn't anything bad. _Alright, I'm just being stupid now. _Amy thought, clasping her hands on her lap.

"Alright, I was just curious. I wanted to make sure that it wasn't some swear word or something." Shadow laughed loudly, causing the pink hedgehog to join in.

"Well," Amy stood up from the sofa again. "I'll sort out the shopping, will be back in a few minutes!" She hurried out of the room, not really knowing why. Shadow crossed his arms across his chest with an amused expression on his face, watching the petite female until he could no longer see her.

"Maybe being alive isn't as bad as I had always thought." He muttered, and didn't hold back the small smile that spread across his muzzle.

* * *

**Hmmm... I wonder what Shadow is thinking at the last sentence. ;P Please review! I need to know what you guys think. :) Please? *Does her not-so-good puppy-dog eyes***

**Joke: Where do cows go on a Saturday night? This joke is fairly easy too, so everyone should have a go at answering it. =) Don't forget to leave me a review, I'll be waiting for them! :) By the way, this chapter was longer, was it not? Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this chappie, bye! **

**-Amy**

**=)**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Over 200 hundred reviews... WOW, thanx everyone! :) The reviews show me how much people like this fic, which means more updates for Without The Mask! ^_^ A big, no _huge_ thank you to: _SakuraDreamerz, Amy roxs1, SoulHeart2011, aliciathewolf45, casey10rok, MEGAANIMEFREAK27, xiXlToxiclXix, Myestica, Ella, pinkrosey11, G.G, BlackPetals23, LilSassySally, ShadowsAngel1, nadiamirah, ShadowFanGirl29, Chicket the Chickadee, QuirkyRevelations, Twilight the Wolf, Shadow of Darkness 78, BlackSandHeart, Midnight Alexis Thorn, blossom girl 2, Makeanotherone, rose the hedghog and Gamyie _for reviewing the last chapter. =) **

**Joke: First of all, when I ask you guys a joke/riddle, I know the answer to it myself. I'm telling you guys that because some people think that I don't know the answer or something, lol. Anyway, the answer to the joke is... TO THE MOO-VIES! Doesn't really matter how many Os you put in, or how you write it. =) So, the people who got it right is as follows: Amy roxs1, aliciathewolf45, MEGAANIMEFREAK27, xiXlToxiclXix, pinkrosey11, ShadowFanGirl29, Chicket the Chickadee, QuirkyRevelations, Twilight the Wolf, BlackSandHeart, Midnight Alexis Thorn, Makeanotherone, rose the hedghog and Gamyie. Well done guys! :) I'll let you all read now, enjoy!**

**Note: ****I'm really sorry, but... I don't write OCs in my stories. If I do one person's OC, other people will also want me to add their OCs as well, sorry, I just don't do it. :(**

**Disclaimer: I don't own STH. **

* * *

**Chapter 15**

"All right, this is really starting to frustrate me now." Sonic skidded to a stop, a frown forming on his face. He had been doing that a lot lately, which was not like him at all. "Maybe I should talk to Tails about it..." He trailed off, considering the thought. "Yeah, Tails did say that I could tell him if something was troubling me, besides the kid's smart, he'll probably be able to tell me why I'm feeling the way I am." The azure hedgehog nodded his head to himself, and then ran to Tails' workshop in a blue blur.

xXx

Sonic stood outside the workshop, wondering if Tails was in. "Tails? Buddy, you in here?" He asked, and a few seconds later, the door opened, revealing a yellow fox.

"Hi Sonic! What brings you here?" The little fox questioned, cleaning his dirty hands with a small white cloth. He moved aside and gestured for Sonic to go in. The blue male did so, flopping down on a small couch. Tails locked the door, and then walked towards a little stool, and sat down on it.

"I'll talk about why I'm here later, first of all... How are ya doin' buddy?" Sonic stretched his arms above his head, and then yawned. God, he was very tired and kind of sleepy. He hadn't been sleeping very well in the last few days.

Tails looked at his friend with concern shown clearly on his face. "I'm fine Sonic, tell me what the matter is. You look..." The small fox trailed off, trying to think of the right word to use. "...Worn out. There's dark circles under your eyes, and you look like you're gonna be falling asleep any second now." His eyebrows cocked in concern, causing Sonic to grin.

"It's nothing serious, Tails. You're probably seeing things." The blue hedgehog chuckled, before clearing his throat. "It's about Amy..."

"Amy?" The concern could be heard in the lemon-coloured fox's voice. "She hasn't been visiting me for quite some time now, is she ok?" Tails asked, standing up from the stool, looking like he would sprint off if anything had happened to her. Sonic nodded his head quickly, not wanting Tails to worry so much. After all, Amy really was ok.

"She's alright, bud. I wouldn't be sitting here if anything had happened to her." The azure male reassured the little fox, but what he said, was absolutely true. Tails sighed in relief, before he sat down on the stool. "It's just..." Sonic trailed off, sighing. He ran a hand through his blue quills, and rubbed his neck.

"What's wrong Sonic?" Tails asked, not knowing why Sonic was acting the way he was. He had never seen his friend this confused before, and it made him curious.

"I guess I should tell you from the beginning..." Sonic sighed, and then nodded his head once. "Yeah, so that you know what I'm talking about." The golden fox's eyebrows arched up, getting really curious now.

"Go on." He nodded, indicating for Sonic to go on.

"Well..." The blue hedgehog began. He told Tails about the time he ran into Amy, and also told him about the pink hedgehog not hugging him. The small fox's eyes narrowed at that, finding it very strange. "Yeah, at that time I found it quite weird too, but decided not to pay too much attention to it." Sonic said, a small frown on his muzzle. "After that, she never hugged me again."

"Strange." Tails muttered, pursing his lips together. "Um, continue." Sonic then told the little fox about the time he visited Amy, and found Shadow in her living room. "What! Why did Amy invite Shadow to her house?" The fox's eyes widened, and his mouth hung open before he closed it with a sheepish smile.

"Well, he was hurt, and she was treating his wounds." Sonic frowned again, causing Tails to also frown.

"Doesn't she know that it's dangerous to be hanging around Shadow?" He asked, watching the blue hedgehog roll his emerald green orbs.

"Trust me, I already told her, but you know how she's like." He sighed, and then continued on with his story. When he got to the part about seeing Shadow and Amy at the pizza shop, and then running into Amy and her telling him that Shadow was living with her, Tails cut him off.

"Sorry for interrupting you, but..." The small fox shook his head, and sighed. "Treating Shadow's wounds was one thing, but letting him stay in your house _with _you, isn't that a little too much?"

Sonic slumped deeper into the sofa, and ran a hand through his quills. "I didn't bother telling her to kick Shadow out of her house because apparently he's her friend now." He frowned, Amy's smiling face coming into his mind. "She knows what she's doing Tails, plus I-I don't think that Shadow's gonna hurt her, ever. From the times that I've seen them together... He looks at her like she's Maria or something, and Shadow has always been quite soft around Amy. Even before they became friends." The blue hedgehog felt the same feeling rush through him that he always got at the mention of the ebony hedgehog, something like... Jealousy? "Hey Tails, buddy. I need your help with something." Tails looked up at his "brother" curiously.

"What is it Sonic?" He asked, his ears perked up.

"Tails, I get this feeling when I see Amy with Shadow, or hear her talk about him." Sonic said, pausing and glancing at the small golden fox.

"What kind of feeling?" Tails asked, and there was a hint of excitement in his voice, causing Sonic's eyes to narrow slightly, but he shrugged it off. He couldn't help but feel like something heavy had just fallen off of his shoulders, telling Tails about his feeling the cause of it. _Looks like it wasn't a bad idea after all... _He thought, not aware of Tails waving his hand in front of his face. "Sonic? Sonic!"

"Huh? Oh sorry, spaced out." The azure male grinned sheepishly, before he cleared his throat. "Ok, so the feeling that I get is like... I dunno how to explain it." He sighed, and then carried on. "It feels funny, the feeling. It make me go protective of Amy when she talks about Shadow, and..." Sonic trailed off, confused at seeing Tails smile. "What?"

"Admit it that you like Amy Sonic!" Tails blurted with a smile on his face, causing Sonic to scoff and roll his eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, when he felt heat rushing to his cheeks, immediately stopping him in his tracks. What the-? "Sonic! You're blushing!" The small fox started laughing, Sonic's hands curling into fists at his sides.

"No, I'm NOT!" He yelled, but felt the blood rushing even faster to his muzzle. "What is this? Why do I feel this way?" Sonic groaned, hitting a wall in frustration, not hard though. He closed his eyes, breathing in through his nose.

Tails chuckled even more. "Maybe because you have a crush on Amy, Sonic. Why don't you just admit it? As for the feeling that you get around Shadow, that feeling's jealousy Sonic." The blue male opened his eyes, shaking his head.

"I'm not jealous, Tails. Hell, I don't like Amy like that! She's like my sister." _Yeah, right. _Sonic's eyes widened at what his inner voice was saying. Could it be possibl-No, he didn't like Amy like that.

"Keep telling yourself that Sonic, but don't blame me if Shadow gets to her first." Tails teased, wanting to make Sonic admit his feelings for Amy. Sonic's eyes widened again, and the fists that he had just uncurled, curled back again.

"No, Shadow's going nowhere near Amy, because she's _mine_!" Sonic yelled, clapping a hand over his mouth afterwards. His eyes were wide, and there was a faint blush on his cheeks. Tails just grinned, and moved over to pat his friend on the back.

"You finally admitted it Sonic. Amy's gonna be so happy, go on, what are you waiting for? Tell her that you like her." He said, watching Sonic open his mouth to argue again, but then the blue hero's shoulders dropped in defeat.

"Fine, I'll tell her. Thanks for your help Tails, I wouldn't have figured it out by myself. God, I'm such an idoit." With a grin and a wave to Tails, Sonic rushed out of the workshop, leaving some papers to scatter on the floor from the wind he created. Tails crouched down to pick it up, and shook his head with a big smile on his face.

"Sonic finally admitted his feelings to Amy, now if only I admit my own feelings to Cream..."

* * *

**Sonic finally admitted his feelings. :) What do you think is gonna happen next? Review for me, pleeeeeease! Thank you. :P **

**No joke today, sorry. Oh and, I normally respond to your reviews, but... The reason I didn't respond to them this time was simply because I was feeling lazy. What can I say, I'm a very lazy person, lol. :D**

**Until next time,**

**-Amy**

**BTW: Have I mentioned how much I appreciate your reviews, lol? If not, THANKS! :) Also, thank you to everyone who is following and faving this story. =) One more thing, sorry if this chapter was short, the next one will be longer, I promise! **


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Hey lovely readers! I'm back with another chapter of WTM. :) A quick thank you to: _aliciathewolf45, ShadowsAngel1, MEGAANIMEFREAK27, Ella, BlackPetals23, casey10rok, Myestica, QuirkyRevelations, LilSassySally, Gamyie, ShadowofDarkness, Moonlight-Shadows12, Excel-The-Hedgehog, Twilight the Wolf_ for reviewing the last chappie! Thanx for all of your support guys, I mean it! =) Enjoy chapter, er... 16! YAY!**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Sonic The Hedgehog. :( **

* * *

**Chapter 16**

"Shadow, what would you like for lunch?" Amy walked in the living room, sitting down on the sofa beside the ebony male. "I've changed the curtains and duvet cover of your room, by the way." Shadow turned his head to look at her, and then nodded his head slowly.

"Um, thanks, I guess." He said, causing Amy to flash a bright smile in his way.

"You're welcome! What should I cook for lunch? Help me out here, Shadow!" The pink hedgehog grabbed the remote control and started flipping through the channels. "There's nothing on the TV either! Why does life have to be so boring?" Amy rolled her jade-green eyes, and then with a huff, turned the television off. One of Shadow's eyebrows rose, and there was a glitter of amusement in his crimson eyes. "What?" The rose female asked, watching the black and red-streaked hedgehog shake his head.

"Nothing." When Amy didn't move and just kept on staring at him, Shadow said, "Fine. It's just that you're acting really stressed out for no reason." The pink hedgehog stuck out her tongue out at him playfully.

"Whatever-Hey, I know! Let's cook something for lunch, and then we can spend the afternoon watching a movie! It's been such a long time since I last watched something!" Amy smiled enthusiastically, standing up from the sofa. "What do you think?"

Shadow shrugged. "Sure, I don't really mind." He reached for the remote, but before he could grab hold of it, Amy snatched it up and shook her head.

"You mister, are gonna help me in the kitchen." The rose-coloured hedgehog waved the remote away from Shadow's hands, holding it behind her back. "Come on, what are you waiting for?"

"First of all, I don't know how to cook so you don't need me in the kitchen, and second of all I'm tired and I just want to sit down somewhere." Shadow said, slumping on the couch. The petite female put her hands on her hips, making sure that Shadow couldn't snatch the remote from her hands, and let out a "humph".

"I'm the one that went shopping, and you're the one that's tired? I don't get it at all. Get up! Or I'm going to make you!" Amy tried to do her most threatening face, but ended up making Shadow burst out laughing.

"Really? I'd like to see you try." He smirked, causing Amy's heart to flutter around in her chest. She frowned, wondering why she got this feeling these days. It felt wrong, yet somehow very right. Shadow lost his smirk, his face melting back to the expressionless mask. "What's the matter?" He asked, cutting in through her thoughts. The pink hedgehog blinked, and then shook her head.

"Nothing." Amy shook her head off the thoughts, and grinned at him. "I'm gonna have to drag you if you don't hurry!"

The ebony hedgehog, again, started chuckling. "Like I said, I'd like to see you try and drag me to the kitchen." Shadow said, watching Amy give him a, you-asked-for-it look, which only made him laugh even harder. The pink hedgehog grabbed one of his hands, and started pulling with all of her strength. _He sure is heavy! _She couldn't help but think, and with a glance at his smirking face, pulled even harder. She wasn't about to let him think that she couldn't do a simple thing such as this, although it was quite true that she couldn't. _Don't give up Amy! Pull harder and show him who is boss!_

After a few more seconds, Shadow sighed and let Amy pull him up. When he saw the look of victory on her face, he said, "You didn't succeed, I let you pull me up." He just smirked at her when she glared at him, and began stretching his arms above his head. "Let's go then, or do you want me to sit back down?" Amy stopped glaring, and smiled.

"Let's go." With that said, she grabbed his hand in her small one, and started heading for the kitchen.

xXx

Amy hummed as she made the pasta, glancing at Shadow from the corner of her eye and watching him roll his eyes. "Lunch is nearly ready." She said, turning around and watching him jump down from the counter.

"Let's see." Shadow walked over to Amy, and looked over her shoulder at the cooking pasta.

"Now do you know what pasta is?" The pink hedgehog teased, Shadow moving away to glare at her with his fierce red orbs. He was doing it playfully of course. Amy remembered the time she used to be intimidated by him, how she thought he was kind of scary. It made her want to laugh at herself now when she thought about it; there was nothing scary about Shadow.

"Ha, ha, ha. Very funny," The ebony male said sarcastically, watching giggles erupt from Amy's mouth.

"It sure is!" Amy moved over to serve the pasta, leaving Shadow to sit down on the counter again.

As Amy was taking out dishes, Shadow said, "Is this the only thing that you can cook?" The pink hedgehog turned around to give him a confused face.

"What? Why are you asking me this? Of course not, I can cook a lot of other things as well." She said, grabbing a big spoon, and serving the pasta on the plates from the pan.

Shadow shrugged, swinging his legs back and forward. "That was the only way to start a conversation."

"We don't have time for conversation now; the food is ready." Amy finished putting all the pasta in the plates, and then moved to the sink to put the pan inside it. She poured sauce over the two plates, and sprinkled something on the pasta that Shadow had no idea what it was. Amy grabbed her plate, Shadow mimicking her every movement. They headed to the small table in the kitchen that only had three chairs. The pink hedgehog took a seat, motioning for the ebony male to also take a seat. Shadow sat down across from Amy, setting his plate down.

"It smells nice." He said, in an effort to compliment her. It worked because the rose female smiled up at him brightly.

"Well, start eating then." Amy grabbed the fork lying next to her plate, and starting eating. Shadow was still like a statue for a second, but then he also took his fork, and began digging in his food. At first the pasta tasted delicious for him, but after a few mouthfuls, his tongue started burning.

"What the-"He took the cup of water from the table, and took big gulps of the fresh, cool water. The black and red-streaked hedgehog stopped when the water finished, moving the cup away from his lips. Amy giggled slowly, and then with a swift glance from Shadow, stopped and smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have put spice on your plate, want more water?" She pushed her cup of water to him, not looking really sorry. Shadow glared fiercely at her, but took the cup and drank. When his tongue wasn't burning anymore, he shot the pink hedgehog another glare.

"You did it on purpose, didn't you." It wasn't really a question, more of a statement.

Amy cleared her throat, and this time, she really did look sorry. "I'm really sorry, ok? It was only on one part of your plate though, so you won't taste it again, I swear!" She bit her lip, scanning his face for any anger, but there was none.

"Make sure that it doesn't happen again." The frowning male hedgehog said, eating the rest of his pasta.

"I won't, I promise!" Amy replied, shoving her plate away from her as she had already finished her food. "Hurry up, Shadow." She said impatiently, standing up and taking her plate and cup with her. Before she could walk to the sink, Shadow gave her another glare.

"What? You want me to choke this time?" He rolled his eyes, and finished the last bit of his pasta. Standing up from his seat, he also grabbed his plate and cup, following the pink hedgehog to the sink. When he got there, he dumped them into the sink, and turned to look at Amy. "I'll be waiting for you in the sitting room." He said, and before the rose female could say anything, he walked out of the kitchen.

"Jerk," Amy muttered, and turned on the tap with a sigh. "I cooked our lunch; I was hoping that he would wash the dishes.

xXx

Amy walked into the living room when she had finished washing the dishes. She moved to a small table in the corner of the room, and took out some movies from the drawer. "What kinds of movie do you like, Shadow?" She asked, taking a seat next to him on the sofa.

The ebony hedgehog shrugged his shoulders, staring at the TV screen blankly. "I don't know. Whatever you like," He said, throwing the remote in the air and then catching it. Amy laid out the movies on her lap, and looked at them thoughtfully. She pursed her lips, and then held up one of the movies.

"Let's watch this one then, I haven't watched it before. And I'm sure that you don't want to watch a chick flick, do you?" Shadow didn't answer, and Amy got the thought that maybe he didn't know what it was. "Never min-"

"No, of course not," He said after a few seconds, stopping the petite hedgehog in her sentence. "What is the movie called?"

"Night of the Living Dead, sounds scary right?" She said, moving to insert the disc in the DVD player. Shadow shrugged again, and tried to get more comfortable on the sofa. When Amy put the movie on, she grabbed the remote, walked over to the dark hedgehog, and tossed it to him. "I'll be back; just going to get some popcorn and drinks."

After a few minutes, Amy came with a tray that had two cans of coke in it, and two bowls of something that was white with some gold mixed with it. Shadow supposed that was the popcorn. The pink hedgehog set down the tray on the table in front of them, and turned to walk to the windows. "Rainy days have one good thing about them; the skies are always dark." She pulled the curtains, and the room got dark. "Yay, now it looks like it is night time!" She walked to the sofa, and jumped next to Shadow.

"What would be the matter if it was light?" The ebony hedgehog asked, playing the movie.

"It's better if movies are watched in somewhere that's dark, it has a nice effect. If it was light right now, you wouldn't be able to see the screen properly, because the light reflects the TV screen. "Amy replied, grabbing her bowl of popcorn. She gave Shadow his bowl, and smiled slightly. "Let me guess, you've never seen or tasted popcorn before."

Shadow rolled his eyes, and stuffed some of the white stuff in his mouth. It tasted nice. "Whatever, watch the movie, it's starting."

xXx

Amy took a sip of her coke, her eyes wide open and glued to the screen. She munched her popcorn slowly, watching the zombie sneak behind a girl's back, and start reaching for her with his slimy green hands. "Ahhh!" Amy screamed, burying her face into Shadow's chest. The ebony hedgehog rolled his eyes, glancing at the clock on the wall. Half past two. This had to be the most boring and stupidest film he had ever watched. _Why doesn't it end?_ He thought, and couldn't understand why the pink hedgehog over-reacted like that over a movie. Just as he was thinking that, he felt Amy whimper in his arms.

"Do you want me to turn it off?" He asked, the rose hedgehog immediately pulling away and shaking her head quickly.

"Of course not, I'm watching it." She pulled away from him completely, stuffing more popcorn in her mouth. Shadow sighed, and slumped deeper in the couch. His popcorn had finished a long time ago, and he was starting to feel quite bored. When Amy was about to hide her face in his chest again, the doorbell rang. She stood up, got the remote to pause the movie, and looked at Shadow. "I'll see who it is, you stay here." And with a quick smile at him, she was gone.

_I wonder who it is. Please be Sonic! I haven't seen him in like forever. _Amy thought, opening the door. Shadow was with her, so she wasn't worried about the person being a killer or something. She looked up from her bangs, her lips stretching out in a wide smile. "Sonic!" The azure hedgehog looked at her with a nervous smile, one of his hands behind his back.

"Hey Ames, how ya doin'?" He asked, watching her eyes sparkle as she looked at him, brushing her bangs aside from her eyes. The blue hero felt his heart start to beat faster, and when he thought about it, it always quickened when he was around Amy. _She's so beautiful._ _I hope that she hasn't moved on from me. _Sonic thought sadly, calling himself stupid again for not figuring out his feelings for her sooner.

Amy snapped out of her trance, her jade-green eyes scanning him from head to toe. Sonic was slightly wet from the light rain, and she saw him fight the urge to sneeze. She gasped, grabbed a hold of his arm, and then dragged him inside. "You're going to catch a cold if you stay out in the rain! Don't you ever listen to me?" She scolded the blue hedgehog, Sonic stopping her.

"I have something very important to tell you. Is, um, Shadow here?" He whispered the last part, causing Amy to raise an eyebrow.

"Yeah... Come to my room then, we'll still have to pass Shadow though." She started heading to the living room, the zure male right behind her. When they got there, Amy frowned and scanned the room. "Must have gone to the bathroom." She shrugged, leading Sonic up the stairs. Once they were in her room, Amy closed and locked the door. "Ok, what is it? And why is your hand behind your back?" The pink hedgehog asked, moving to sit down on her bed. She didn't know if she was just seeing things, or if Sonic really was blushing. _Weird._ Amy thought, narrowing her eyes a little.

The blue hero cleared his throat, and walked over to Amy. "Ames, there's something I've gotta tell ya."

"Go on then." The rose female said simply, tilting her head to the side while trying to figure out Sonic's strange behaviour.

"Um, for you." He held out the hand that he was hiding until now, and in it held a red rose. Amy gasped, and smiled widely. Sonic had never given her a rose before... Well, he had once, but that was only because she was upset and he wanted to make her feel better. But this time, she wasn't even sad. Could it mean he liked her?

"Awh! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She squealed, and took the rose, breathing in the scent, her eyes fluttering shut. Sonic smiled, happy that he had made her... Well, happy.

"Amy, there's something else I have to tell you." He said, with a hint of nervousness in his voice. Now Amy was really starting to wonder. _Does he like me? _She thought, feeling her heart start to beat faster.

"What?" She asked, her eyes trailing across his face, trying to see if she could figure out something.

Sonic looked down, and this time, Amy saw his muzzle flush in a darker shade than before. "I l-like y-you."

* * *

**How was this chapter? I promised that I would make this chapter longer, and I did. Just know that I don't break promises. :P**

**Joke/riddle: What instrument can you hear, but can't see, and can't touch? XD Do have a go at answering. :)**

**Please, please, _please _don't forget to leave me a review! They are very appreciated! ^_^**

**Until next time,**

**-Amy**

**=)**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: I'd like you all to know that I am not dead! :P The reason why I haven't updated in the last few months is because… Well, because of some problems that is now fixed, not to mention that school has gotten a little harder and takes up most of my time. **

**Joke: The answer is: Your voice, so well done to those people who got it right. Give yourself a pat on the back. ****J**

**Disclaimer: I do not own STH, and I never will!**

* * *

**Chapter 17**

Amy felt her eyes widen and she was afraid that they were going to pop out of their sockets. "What? What did you just say?" She felt her heart start to beat very fast, focusing her eyes on the blue hedgehog standing before her.

"I said I like you." Sonic answered, frowning a little at her behaviour. He thought that she would jump around the room and ask him to marry her with her green eyes twinkling like stars. _She's probably shocked, and thinks that I'm lying about liking her. _The blue hero thought, nodding his head mentally.

"Y-you're lying! This is some joke!" The pink hedgehog frowned, sighing deeply. "If this is a joke Sonic, I want you out of my house."

"This is no joke Ames; I really do mean what I'm saying." Sonic walked up to her, locking his olive green eyes with her jade ones. Amy stared at him, not being able to see anything else but sincerity in his gaze.

"D-do you _really _mean it?" The pink female asked again.

Sonic nodded his head. "Yes, and I'll take you out on a date to prove it." Amy gasped, her eyes widening.

"This is a dream, it has to be!" She bit her bottom lip, brushing her bangs aside. Sonic let a smile form on his face.

"It isn't a dream; would you like to go on a date right now?" The blue blur asked, rubbing the back of his neck with his left gloved hand. He heard Amy gasp, and when he saw her pinch her hand, he couldn't help but chuckle.

_It's real, it really is. _Amy thought to herself, her jaw dropping open. Her eyes widened again, and she felt her lips pull back in a grin. She then ran to Sonic and wrapped her arms around his neck in a tight hug. "Sonic! I'm so glad you confessed your feelings for me! I've been dreaming of this day since I first met you!" The pink hedgehog pulled back with a small tint of red on her cheeks.

Chuckling again, Sonic tucked some of her pink hair behind her ear. Oddly, he felt really comfortable in her embrace unlike the old times. _It's probably because I told her about how I feel for her. Why couldn't I have told her a long time ago?_

"Sonic, I'll get ready for our date, so… Will you please excuse me?" Amy asked with a smile, pulling away completely.

"Of course Ames, I'm gonna wait for ya outside." The azure male gave her a grin, before he dashed out of the room. The rose-coloured hedgehog gave a huge sigh, with a big smile on her face.

"Wear your best dress Amy; you've always dreamed of the day you would date Sonic The Hedgehog." She murmured to herself, walking to the cupboard, and sliding the door open. "Looks like my plan worked." She added with a little grin.

xXx

Amy stood in front of the mirror, pursing her lips as she checked herself from head to toe. She was wearing a spaghetti strapped black dress that reached above her knees. It was kind of tight around the chest, waist and hips, but not too tight to make her feel uncomfortable. Her soft pink quills that reached up to her shoulders were curled slightly. She wore a thin gold necklace with "Amy" carved on it that the blue hedgehog had given her on the day she became 14. Amy wasn't really the type of girl to wear make-up, but today she wanted to impress Sonic, which left her with some lip-gloss and black eye-liner. And on her feet, she wore black high heels.

"You look great, let's go!" The pink hedgehog told herself, grabbed her small black purse, and left the room hurriedly. As she was climbing down the stairs, she caught sight of Shadow sitting down on the sofa. With a gasp, she climbed down faster. She couldn't believe that she had forgotten all about him, it made her feel slightly guilty.

Hearing her approach him, Shadow turned his head around to look at her. "Going somewhere?" He asked, with his emotionless mask placed firmly on his face. Amy got the feeling that he had heard her conversation with Sonic, but she couldn't be really sure.

"Yeah…" She answered quietly, watching him look at her from head to toe.

Tilting his head to the side, he asked calmly, "Can I ask where?"

"Um…" Amy started fiddling with her purse, and tried avoiding eye contact with him. She was sure that he knew about her date with Sonic, something in his eyes told her so. Deciding not to hide the truth from him, as he already knew everything anyway, she took a deep breath. "I have a date with Sonic." Shadow nodded his head, and turned his head to look at the TV screen. Amy frowned, and said, "I know you told me to stay away from him, but he said that he likes me. How can I refuse him when I've always dreamed of him being mine? Tell me, Shadow."

The ebony male turned to look at her again. "I'm not telling you what you should do or what you shouldn't do, it's your choice. The Faker can get short-tempered sometimes, so just be careful." He answered her, some emotion in his eyes that Amy couldn't really tell what it was.

"Are you saying that Sonic is going to turn into Dark Sonic and hurt me?" The pink female asked in a way that said, "He would never hurt me". Shadow shrugged, which made Amy kind of angry. "Of course he wouldn't!" She said a bit too loudly, saw Shadow raise an eyebrow, and sighed. "I'm sorry, Shadow. I like Sonic. Don't you want me to be happy?" Amy asked the black and red-streaked hedgehog with a small pout on her face.

"I want you to be happy with someone else, not with Faker. Be careful and have fun." With that said, Shadow turned his face away from her completely. Not wanting to say anything else, Amy looked at him one more time, and as she was about to walk away, her eyes flickered to the TV screen. The film was still paused at where she had stopped it.

"We'll watch the rest of the movie when I come back, Shadow, I promise. Do something while I'm gone, but please don't leave the house." She whispered, biting her bottom lip. He wasn't looking at her. _Probably upset about the choice I made. _The rose hedgehog thought. "If you get Hungry, there's food in the fridge." She waited there for a minute, and when Shadow still didn't pay any attention to her, walked out of the room. She didn't know it, but Shadow watched her go with a frown on his face.

Amy turned the knob of the front door, and ran into something. She looked up into warm olive green eyes. "Oh, it's only you."

"You took so long, I got worried and decided to come and look for you." Sonic stepped back, and held the door open for the petite female. She walked out and closed it shut.

"Why did you get worried?" Amy asked, feeling a cool wave of air hit her on the face. She shivered a little and wrapped her arms around herself.

"You might wanna wear a coat; the sky shows signs of rain." The blue hero said, taking another step back. "You look beautiful." He complimented her, watching her smile widely at his statement.

"Thanks. I'm going to go and grab a coat, be back in a sec." Amy smiled at him, before entering the house. She took her creamy-coloured coat that Hung on a peg next to the door, exiting the house as soon as she had the coat in her hand. She wore it, immediately feeling warm. "So, tell me why you were worried."

"I was afraid that you would change your mind about accepting me." Sonic said, scratching his ear with a sheepish smile. "However, I'm glad that that wasn't the case."

"Yeah…" Amy trailed off, thinking of the ebony hedgehog sitting in her living room. She wondered if Sonic had seen him, but that was unlikely as Shadow was nowhere to be seen at that time. Besides, Sonic would have said something if he had seen Shadow.

"What are you thinking about?" The blue hedgehog asked, snapping Amy out of her thoughts.

"I was thinking about where you are going to take us for our date." She answered, which seemed to make Sonic smile brightly for some reason.

"Oh right, that. Are you ready then?" The azure male asked, Amy nodding immediately. She couldn't wait to see what he had planned for their date. "Great!" Sonic scooped Amy up in his arms, a squeal escaping from her mouth. "Hold on tight!" He sprinted off, leaving a trail of blue blur behind him.

xXx

Sonic skidded to a halt, a small smile on his face. Amy stood on her own feet, trailing her eyes around. Her blue hero had brought her to the beach. "Is this place alright? Or do you want to spend our date in some other place?"

"It's not alright, Sonic." Amy whispered, not seeing the blue hedgehog look slightly worried. "It's wonderful! Thank you."

"I'm glad you like it. Let's walk." He took her small hand in his and both of them started walking, Amy looking down and blushing slightly. "Would you like something to eat?" Sonic asked her.

"No, I'm full." She shook her head. The blue hero stopped when they were on top of a small hill.

"Let's stop here. I wanna show ya something." He smiled, making the pink hedgehog get kind of curious. She wondered what he wanted to show her.

"Ok," She nodded her head, both of them walking to the edge and sitting down. Amy let her feet swing from side to side. "Thank you Sonic, really." The blue male turned to look at her. "For this date… I still can't believe this is all happening."

Sonic smiled. "Me neither. You didn't react the way I imagined you would." The rosy hedgehog tilted her head to look at him.

"What do you mean?" She asked, her hair blowing in the wind.

"I thought that you would give me one of your death hugs, not the soft ones." He chuckled. "And I also thought that you would run around the room and get really hyper."

Amy laughed. "Yeah, well to be honest, I don't want to act like a child anymore. You can say that I've matured." She laughed again, an ebony hedgehog popping into her head. He had helped her become like a grown-up with his offensive words. How many times had he called her a child? That was at the beginning of course, he was now one of her closest friends. She smiled at that.

"Amy? Amy!" Sonic waved a hand in front of her face, making her snap back into reality.

"Sorry, I spaced out." She smiled, watching the waves crash in and out.

"You really have matured, although I kind of miss the old Amy." Sonic grinned, and then said, "Look! This is what I wanted to show you." He pointed to the sky; Amy's head snapping up so as to not miss what the cobalt hedgehog wanted her to see. The sun was drifting down the sky, both being able to see only half of it. The sky was a mixture of orange, red and yellow. Now she understood why he had brought her here. She had always told him that on their first date she wanted to watch the sun set with him, while he had told her that he was sorry and that he only liked her as a friend.

Amy turned her body around to look at him, tears forming in her eyes. "Thank you, Sonic. I can't believe you still remember my wish."

"Why wouldn't I?" He smiled, and then said, "There's something I want to give you." For some reason, Sonic sounded nervous.

"What?" She asked, and when she saw him glance down at her lips, the butterflies started flying around in her stomach.

"I don't want to force you or anything, so if you don't want to-"

"Are you kidding?" Amy questioned him, seeing him turn around slightly. When the words were out of her mouth, Sonic turned to her.

"If you insist…" He trailed off, the pink hedgehog being able to see how nervous he seemed although he tried to hide it.

Sonic leaned in to her, and then pressed his lips to hers. The pink hedgehog's eyes fluttered shut, feeling his soft lips move against hers. It was a very soft and sweet kiss, and just as she was about to deepen it, he pulled back with a grin on his face. "You always wanted to have your first kiss with me, there you have it!" Amy forced a smile.

"Yeah…" She gazed at the sky, remembering who she had her first kiss with. Even though it was an accident one, it still counted. She wondered what Shadow was doing right now. What if he had left? "Thank you for everything Sonic, but I've gotta go now. I need to cook something for dinner. You can come too if…" Amy watched the smile fade away from his face.

"No, I can't." He stood up, and then planted a smile on his face, while holding his arms open. "Let me take you back."

Amy bit her lip; not knowing if going back to her house with Sonic at her side would make Shadow happy. He was already mad at her, and that was enough. "It's ok, Sonic. I'll go back myself." Sonic opened his mouth to argue with her, but he knew that it was useless.

"Whatever you say," he sighed. "Be careful."

"I will, I'll see you soon." Amy smiled and ran to him, wrapping her arms around his neck in one of her tight hugs. "I haven't changed _that _much." She grinned, seeing him also smile.

"Meet me at Tails' workshop tomorrow for another date." Sonic gave her a wink, with a big smile on his face.

"I will." The pink female planted a quick kiss on his face, before she started walking away; Sonic watching her go with his fingers touching the spot her lips had been on one second ago.

"I need to give Tails a present for making me see my feelings for Amy!"

* * *

**Ok, please review and tell me what you thought about this chapter. A huge thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, all of you guys inspire me to continue writing. My thanks also goes to everyone who has alerted and added my story to their favourites, you guys rock. I'm gonna mention all of you guys at the end to show how much I appreciate your feedback, and we're not far from the ending. ;) **

**That was quite a long author's notes, wasn't it? Review please! *Hugs everyone***

**-Amy **

**=)**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Hey girls… And boys? Here is the next chapter of "Without The Mask". :) A big, big, _big_ thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, YOU GUYS ROCK! I hope this new chapter isn't a disappointment. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own StH.**

* * *

**Chapter 18**

"Shadow, are you here?" Amy asked as she entered her dark house, all of the lights were off. Taking off her high heels, she held them in her hand, praying silently to herself that the dark hedgehog hadn't left the house. "Shadow?" She walked in the living room, disappointment immediately forming on her face. The stubborn hedgehog was nowhere to be seen. "I guess I have to start looking for him then." The pink female sighed, putting on her high heels back on her feet. She couldn't be bothered to go up to her room and change into more comfy clothes and footwear.

xXx

Amy gave out a sigh of relief when she saw the ebony hedgehog. He was standing near a tree in the park; she had decided to check the park first. A huge smile got placed on her lips when she saw him wearing the red and black scarf around his neck. She supposed that he had forgiven her, although her crime wasn't that big. "Now I'm going crazy." The rosy hedgehog rolled her eyes, walking up to the darker male hedgehog. Sensing her approaching him, Shadow turned around to face her with an expressionless face.

"You're back." He said simply, turning around and gazing at the sky. "Did you have fun?" He asked afterwards, facing Amy again. The pink hedgehog shrugged her shoulders; the breeze making her hair hit her face. The weather was cold, and Amy was thankful that she had brought her coat along with her.

"I can't exactly say it was fun." She admitted, causing Shadow's ears to perk up slightly. "Of course I can't have any fun when you're not with me." The petite female added softly, being really honest. Although she loved being in the presence of her beloved Sonikku, as she liked to call him, she always thought of her new friend: Shadow. She was surprised, however, when the black and red-striped hedgehog let out a laugh.

"You don't need to lie to me, Rose." He let out a small grunt, not seeing a frown pull at the corner of Amy's lips.

"Why would I lie to you Shadow? Believe me, all through the date I thought about you." Her frown deepened.

"The reason why you're lying to me is because you feel bad for leaving me there, when you went on a date with that faker." The ebony hedgehog muttered, not noticing that he was sounding jealous. Amy didn't notice it either.

"You know what, Shadow? You are really stubborn. I have no reason to lie to you. I care about you, but you can't see it." Amy glared a little, clutched her coat tighter, and began walking away. Rolling his eyes, the black and red male caught up with the pink hedgehog, grabbed her wrist and spun her around.

"Look, I'm s-s-sorry for acting the way I did. I'm just mad at faker; he got himself involved with us again. I liked it better when it was just you and me…" Shadow trailed off, his ears flattened slightly.

_Is it just me or is Shadow sounding kind of jealous? _Amy thought to herself, feeling her heart start to beat faster at the possibility of that thought.

"The world was more peaceful back then, I didn't have to face the faker every day. I just don't like him." The ebony hedgehog broke Amy out of her thoughts, the chance of Shadow being jealous fading away. The pink girl hedgehog couldn't help but feel disappointed, and she wondered why that was. "Are you still upset?"

Amy shook her head, and got rid of her thoughts. "No, I understand now. Shall we go home; I think it might rain soon." She glanced up at the cloudy sky, Shadow mimicking her movements.

"I think we should." The black and red-streaked hedgehog nodded, looking at her afterwards.

"Let's just forget everything that happened an hour ago, you're not mad at me anymore and I'm not mad at you." Amy smiled gently, linking her arm through his arm, feeling something like a small electric shock. Taking one step forward, she stopped and gasped.

"What's wrong?" Shadow asked in his deep voice, worry in his eyes, and when Amy looked into them, the worry melted into nothing.

"It's nothing. I don't walk in high heels usually, and now that I wore them today, my feet feel really numb. I can't even walk properly, they hurt a lot." She told him, bending down to rub her feet gently.

"Why don't you take them off then? And-" The male hedgehog began before he got interrupted by Amy.

"And just walk in bare feet? I don't think I can do that." She said, still rubbing her sore feet.

Sighing, Shadow said, "Why don't you let me finish my sentence first? Take your shoes off, whatever they are called, and I'll just carry you to your house."

"Really, you'll do that?! Oh Shadow, thank you very much!" The pink female squealed, wrapping her arms around his neck in a tight hug. "Ow!" She pulled back, taking off her high heels. Shadow scooped her up into his arms, and started running.

"You're welcome." He smirked a little when she yelped and held on to him tighter. Glancing down at her face, he saw her looking forward, a small smile on her lips. He felt his heart turn softer when he gazed at her face, saw the happiness in her eyes… _She's beautiful. _He couldn't help but think, a smile forming on his face automatically.

"The place looks awesome when you run, doesn't it Shadow?" Amy asked, breaking him out of his little trance. When she looked at him, he felt blood rush to his cheeks, snapping his head the other way. Was he blushing? _God, I probably look like a fool. _Shadow thought, his muzzle feeling warm. Lucky for him, the pink hedgehog didn't see the tint of red on his cheeks. "Shadow, are you ok?"

"I'm fine, just thinking." He replied back immediately, turning his face back to her when his cheeks had cooled down a bit. "We're here." He stopped, letting Amy stand on her feet. Both of them walked inside the house, the pink hedgehog flicking the lights on as they went.

Jumping on the sofa, Amy patted the spot next to her for Shadow to sit down on. "How 'bout we eat pizza for dinner, sound good to you?" She asked, seeing him nod his head slowly.

"Yeah, sure, I don't mind." The ebony hedgehog said, digging his hand in Amy's bowl of popcorn, filling his mouth with the salty flavour. Rolling her jade-green eyes, the pink hedgehog grabbed the bowl, placing it on the table.

"Don't fill your stomach up with popcorn." She said, turning the DVD player off. "We'll watch the rest of the movie some other day, right now I'm gonna order pizza and then we'll sit down and get to know each other better. I know that we're friends, but we don't know everything about each other, do we?" She asked, but didn't wait for an answer. Fishing out her phone from the pocket of her coat, she dialled the pizza shop's number, and waited for someone to answer the phone. As Amy began talking, Shadow grabbed the remote control and began flipping through the channels. "Uh, Shadow, would you like spice to be added to your pizza?"

"No!" The ebony hedgehog yelled, startling Amy. Rolling her eyes, she said something else, before she ended the call.

"Why did you have to yell?" She asked, reaching for the remote, and turning the TV off. Shadow gave her a look that said, "What the hell was that for?", before he simply shrugged.

"Remember the last time I ate spice?" He asked, seeing a small "o" form on Amy's mouth in understanding. "I don't want that to happen again." The ebony hedgehog murmured, not seeing a small smirk form on Amy's mouth.

"Anyway," The rosy female cleared her throat, keeping the remote away from Shadow's reaching hands. "Getting to know each other better, what's your favourite colour? You know mine but I don't know yours."

Sighing heavily, Shadow slumped deeper into the sofa and groaned. "If you must know, I like the colour red." He said in a bored voice, looking up at the rose-coloured hedgehog.

"Really? I like that colour too, well you know that already, but…" She trailed off, smiling at the ebony male.

"I thought that you were obsessed with the colour pink." Shadow said, chuckling at Amy's expression. Glaring at him playfully, the pink female rolled her jade-green eyes.

"Yeah, that was before. I like red now… And black… And blue." She said, seeing the black and red-streaked hedgehog raise an eyebrow.

"May I ask why you like the colour blue?" Shadow frowned, the image of a certain azure hedgehog popping inside his head. What he didn't realize though, was that the pink hedgehog had mentioned the colours red and black too...

Wondering why Shadow's mood changed so quickly, Amy smiled softly. "I like the colour red and black because, um, well because you are that colour." She paused to look at his face, and to her surprise, she could actually see what was in his mind. Shock and surprise was written all over his face. "And I like the colour blue because I miss the blue sky, the sky is all grey these days." She giggled, seeing his jaw drop open. "What? Aren't you gonna say anything?"

"I thought... Faker, blue..." The words came out in a jumble from Shadow's mouth, the pink hedgehog not being able to understand anything.

"What are you trying to say, Shadow?" Amy asked, her eyebrows rising up. After a few seconds, a thought came to her mind. _Is he trying to say that Sonic - Oh my God! I can't believe that I totally forget about him._ She glanced at Shadow's face, seeing a small smirk on his lips. "I like the colour blue because of Sonic too! How could I forget about him?" She murmured the last bit, a sad frown on her face.

Not seeming interested in talking about "faker", Shadow yawned as he stretched his muscles. "When will the pizza arrive? I'm tired and I wanna go to sleep right after we've finished eating."

"The pizza is going to arrive soon, but we haven't finished getting to know each other." Amy replied, not wanting to think about why she had forgot Sonic right now.

"Rose, your questions..." The black and red-streaked hedgehog trailed off, thinking. "Are stupid and give me a headach-" Before he could finish his sentence, the doorbell rang.

"The pizza is here!" The rosy female jumped up to her feet, rushing to the door. A minute later, she walked in the living room, two boxes of pizza in her hands. "It smells delicious!" She inhaled the scent, taking a seat on the sofa beside Shadow. "Here's your one." Amy handed him one of the boxes smirking when she was sure that Shadow wasn't looking.

"Thanks," he said simply, opening the box and taking out one piece of the pizza out. Amy watched him anxiously, and when he saw her from the corner of his eye, he stopped when the pizza was right in front of his mouth and said, "Is something wrong, why aren't you eating?"

The petite hedgehog shook her head and took a bite off of the pizza. "Nothin'" She muttered in reply, hiding a grin. "I'll bring something to drink." Amy disappeared out of the living room, coming back some seconds later, carrying two cans of coke. Both hedgehogs ate their food without saying anything.

A few minutes later, Amy began to grow a little worried. _Did he even do it?_ Coughing brought her out of her thoughts, seeing Shadow holding his hands around his neck as he coughed loudly.

"What have you done this time?" He questioned through coughs, grabbing the coke and gulping it down his burning throat and tongue. Amy couldn't help but laugh, finding his expression very humorous. Her giggling stopped when the ebony male glared at her fiercely, no longer coughing.

"Uh oh," the pink female whispered, knowing that Shadow was really angry at her right now. "Shadow, look, I'm sorry ok? There was spice on one of the pieces only, I - Ahhh!" She screamed as Shadow threw himself forward at her. Since she was in a hurry running around the sofa, she tripped, the black and red tainted hedgehog getting the upper hand. Shadow held her hands above her head, laying himself over her, but not completely. Their bodies could barely touch. He brought his face down to hers, so low that Amy could feel his hot breath on her face. That made her cheeks turn red, her heart beat faster, her breath get caught in her throat, and butterflies fly around in her stomach. She had no time to think about why those things were happening though.

"Say sorry." Shadow whispered quietly, his crimson orbs fixed on her jade green ones.

"S-sorry," Amy murmured back, hearing her heart beat even faster than before. He brought his face more lower, his face inches away from touching hers.

"If something like this happens again, I'll... I will tickle you so much that you won't be able to stand up for days!" He said jokingly, a small smirk on his face.

"It won't happen again, I promise." The rose-coloured hedgehog said quietly, her gaze dropping down from his eyes to his lips. She licked her lips as she got the weird feeling to place them over his. Just then, the room turned black as the lights went off.

_The electricity has such good timing._ Amy thought sarcastically, remembering the last time the lights had gone out. Her kiss with Shadow... She decided that she wouldn't move, she didn't want that incident to happen again. She was dating Sonic for goodness sake! She just had to resist the urge to bring her face up_. What is happening? Why am I getting these thoughts?_

"Let me help you up." Shadow broke her out of her little world, the warmth disappearing, so Amy got the feeling that he had gotten up. She felt a warm hand touch hers, and held it, standing up a second later. Shadow guided her to a sofa, both of them sitting down. She said nothing, and neither did he. Amy screamed when there was a clap of thunder, throwing her body forward, as she clasped herself to the ebony hedgehog. Shadow chuckled in amusement, but ran a hand through her pink quills in an effort to comfort her.

"Thank you, Shadow. You're a great friend." She said honestly, wondering if she wanted him to be more than friends with her._ How can I think of such a thing like that!? I'm dating Sonic, and I don't like Shadow that way!_ But she knew that she was lying to herself_. Do I like Shadow? Or do I like Sonic? Oh, I am so confused! _

"You are a good friend too, Rose." Shadow said, both of them pulling away. Amy smiled at him, although he couldn't really see_. Perhaps I like both of them, but how can I like both of them? I like Sonic more, right? Or is what I have with Sonic just an obsession or infatuation? Do I love Shadow?_ She blushed as she thought about that. She hadn't felt this way around anyone else before, even with her beloved Sonikku. Not being able to control herself anymore, and positive that she liked Shadow as well, Amy placed her lips to where she knew his lips where. She felt him stiffen under her touch at first, but then to her surprise, he relaxed but didn't really respond to the kiss. When she had tasted enough of his soft and warm lips, the pink female pulled away.

"I-I a-am sorry. I didn't mean to do that." She stuttered, wondering if he was angry at her.

"It's ok Rose, accidents do happen." Shadow said, causing Amy to pull away and shake her head, even though he couldn't see her.

"No, it's no okay Shadow. This is the second time this has happened. I've made you uncomfortable again, I just don't know why I did it." The pink hedgehog sighed, feeling slightly ashamed of herself.

Rolling his eyes, the ebony hedgehog said, "Amy, if I'm not bothered by it, then why are you?"

"What!" Amy exclaimed, the lights coming on. _Did he just say that he isn't bothered about me kissing him? Does that mean... _The pink hedgehog felt a smile form on her mouth. _Does he like me?_

"It's not like a really big thing has happened. I mean your lips touched mine, what does it mean anyway? I don't see why you're so..." He trailed off, not being able to think of a word.

Amy felt a frown pull at her lips, and said, "Never mind, it's not important."

"I'll go to sleep then." Shadow said, oblivious to Amy's change of attitude. The pink hedgehog simply nodded her head, watching him make his way to the stairs.

* * *

_Do I like him?_ Amy turned to the side, staring at nothing in particular. _What about Sonic?_ Heaving in a deep sigh, she sat up on the bed. I do like him, it's obvious. She still couldn't believe it. Her, having feelings for someone who was not Sonic_. I've gotta tell him, I have to know if he likes me too. _

As she got out of bed, a picture of Sonic popped inside her head. The hurt on his face. _Why did I have to chase him, now that he has realised his feelings for me, I have moved on to someone else. I have to tell him tomorrow. _

Amy walked out of her room and stood behind Shadow's room's door. Sighing heavily, she placed her hand on the doorknob, twisting it open. "Shadow, there's something I have to tell you."

* * *

**What do you think? I wanted Amy to find out her feelings for Shadow in another way, but I wanted to get it over and done with, I hope you guys don't mind the rushed chapter, do you? Anyway, please, please, please review for me! :) They mean a lot.**

**I forgot to do a joke in the last chapter, but the joke for today is: What flower grows between your nose and your chin?**

**See ya all later,**

**-Amy**


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